The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted a major consignment of Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine linked to insurgency financing and organised crime, in Kwara State.
In a statement on Sunday, the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said operatives on routine patrol along Bode Saadu Road made the interception on April 21, 2026, after stopping a passenger vehicle.
A search of one of the occupants, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu, led to the recovery of 10,000 pills of Captagon, alongside nine packets of Tapentadol, a powerful opioid.
Captagon, widely abused in parts of the Middle East, is known for inducing heightened alertness and reduced fear, making it a drug of concern among security agencies due to its reported use by militant groups. Its production and trafficking have been linked to criminal networks and extremist organisations, including ISIS-affiliated groups.
In a separate operation at the same checkpoint on April 24, NDLEA operatives intercepted a trailer concealing large quantities of pharmaceutical opioids in a specially constructed hidden compartment. Recovered items included 155,900 capsules of tramadol, 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection, 3,000 tablets of co-codamol, and 9,000 tablets of bromazepam. A 24-year-old suspect, Aminu Isah, was arrested.
Elsewhere, in Oyo State, a passenger on a commercial bus along the Ibadan–Oyo Expressway was arrested after being found to have ingested illicit drugs. Under observation, the suspect, Eze Prince Emeka, excreted 45 pellets of cocaine weighing over one kilogram. Investigations indicated he intended to smuggle the drugs to Europe via Algeria.
Further operations across the country led to additional seizures. In Edo State, two suspects were arrested with over 1.1 million opioid tablets concealed in a truck bound for Onitsha. In Lagos, operatives recovered 810 kilograms of cannabis known as “Arizona,” while in Bauchi State, 154.5 kilograms of skunk were seized.
In Ekiti State, 466.8 kilograms of skunk were recovered from a residential building, and in Cross River State, a joint operation with the military led to the destruction of 20,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on eight hectares of farmland.
In Niger State, NDLEA officers also intercepted a suspect transporting 394 components suspected to be used in the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have since been handed over to relevant security agencies for investigation.
Commending the nationwide operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), described the Captagon seizure as a significant disruption of attempts to revive a dangerous drug trafficking route into Nigeria.
“We are not just seizing drugs; we are dismantling the infrastructure of violence and addiction,” Marwa said. “Our officers remain on high alert to ensure these criminal networks find no space to operate.”
He added that sustained enforcement, alongside public sensitisation, remains critical to reducing drug demand and strengthening the national response to drug trafficking and abuse.
