The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a major breakthrough in the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime in Kwara State, intercepting a significant shipment of Captagon—a powerful and highly addictive amphetamine often linked to insurgency and criminal syndicates.
According to a statement released on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media & Advocacy, NDLEA officers on patrol along Bode Saadu Road stopped a passenger vehicle on April 21, 2026. A search of 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu, one of the passengers, led to the discovery of 10,000 Captagon tablets and nine packets of Tapentadol, a strong opioid, in his possession.
Captagon is notorious for heightening alertness, suppressing fear, and increasing aggression—traits that have made it a favored drug among militant groups in the Middle East. Its production and trafficking are often associated with extremist organisations, including those linked to ISIS, raising alarm over its emergence in Africa.
In a related operation at the same Bode Saadu checkpoint on April 24, NDLEA operatives intercepted a trailer with a specially constructed hidden compartment filled with pharmaceutical drugs. The seizure included 155,900 capsules of tramadol, 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection, 3,000 co-codamol tablets, and 9,000 bromazepam tablets. A 24-year-old suspect, Aminu Isah, was arrested during the operation.
Elsewhere, in Oyo State, NDLEA officers apprehended a passenger, Eze Prince Emeka, on a commercial bus along the Ibadan/Oyo expressway. After being placed under observation, Emeka excreted 45 pellets of cocaine weighing over one kilogram, which he had ingested in an attempt to smuggle the drugs to Europe via Algeria.
Further nationwide operations resulted in more major seizures. In Edo State, two suspects were caught transporting over 1.1 million pharmaceutical opioid pills hidden in a truck headed for Onitsha. In Lagos, 810 kilograms of a potent cannabis strain called Arizona were confiscated, while 154.5 kilograms of skunk were seized in Bauchi State.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA officers recovered 466.8 kilograms of skunk from a private residence. In Cross River State, a joint operation with the military led to the destruction of 20,000 kilograms of cannabis grown across eight hectares.
Separately, in Niger State, NDLEA agents intercepted a suspect carrying 394 components used for making improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have since been handed over to the appropriate security authorities for further investigation.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the efforts of officers across the country, describing the Captagon interception as a critical blow to attempts at reviving a dangerous drug pipeline into Nigeria.
We are not just seizing pills; we are disrupting the fuel that powers violence in our communities, Marwa stated, adding that the agency remains vigilant to ensure illicit drugs do not gain a foothold.
He stressed the importance of sustaining this momentum and balancing drug supply reduction with public education as key elements in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria.
