By CHARLES CHIJIOKE
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a large consignment of Captagon—described as a “terror drug” in Kwara State, while a separate operation led to the recovery of 45 wraps of cocaine excreted by a suspect in Oyo State.
According to a statement by NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu Road on April 21 intercepted a 33-year-old suspect, Nasiru Mu’azu, in a trailer conveying illicit substances. A search uncovered 10,000 pills of Captagon alongside nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg.
Babafemi noted that Captagon, “a highly addictive stimulant… known for inducing prolonged wakefulness, euphoria and reduced fear,” is often linked to criminal networks and insurgent groups, raising fresh concerns about its emergence in Nigeria’s drug trafficking routes.
In a follow-up operation at the same location on April 24, NDLEA officers intercepted another trailer loaded with 155,900 tramadol capsules, 6,000 tramadol injection ampoules, 3,000 co-codamol tablets and 9,000 bromazepam tablets hidden in a false compartment. A 24-year-old suspect, Aminu Isah, was arrested.
In Oyo State, a 33-year-old passenger, Eze Prince Emeka, was arrested along the Ibadan/Oyo Expressway after a body scan confirmed ingestion of illicit drugs. He later excreted 45 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.043kg in three sessions. Investigators said the suspect intended to move the drugs to Europe via trans-Saharan routes through Algeria after an initial stop in Sokoto.
Further operations in Edo State led to the seizure of 1,196,000 pills of pharmaceutical opioids along the Benin/Lagos expressway, with two suspects arrested. Other raids across the country resulted in the recovery of 810kg of cannabis in Lagos State, 154.5kg of skunk in Bauchi State, and 466.8kg in Ekiti State, while 20,000kg of cannabis farms were destroyed in Cross River State.
In a related security development, NDLEA operatives in Niger State recovered 394 components suspected to be for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), with the suspect handed over to other security agencies.
NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa commended officers involved, describing the Captagon seizure as “a significant disruption of drug trafficking networks,” and warned that the substance remains a major target for traffickers due to its links to violence and insecurity.
The developments highlight Nigeria’s growing role as both a transit and destination hub for synthetic drugs and opioids, with potential consequences including rising domestic abuse rates, strengthened criminal networks, and increased security risks tied to substances associated with insurgency financing.
Source: Daily Post Nigeria (April 26, 2026)
