“Undercover Revelation: Cocaine Disguised in Palm Kernel Oil Cans Leads to Arrest of Lagos Kingpin”
Agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have dismantled a narcotics trafficking organization that concealed cocaine in containers of palm kernel extract destined for the United Kingdom, apprehending principal suspects including the purported leader in Lagos.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, revealed in a statement on Sunday, noting that the initiative followed three weeks of intelligence collection and synchronized enforcement operations.
The operation commenced on March 11, 2026, when officials at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, seized 3.10 kilograms of cocaine hidden within containers of palm kernel extract at the export area.
Two individuals connected to the shipment, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin, were detained.
A subsequent sting operation on April 2 resulted in the capture of the sender, identified as Ezemuwo Joel, who allegedly operated under a fraudulent identity.
His detention subsequently directed operatives to the alleged head of the syndicate, 52-year-old King Arinze, who was apprehended at a hideout in Isolo, Lagos.
NDLEA operatives then raided a warehouse associated with the suspect at 11 Ola Ifa Street, Bucknor, Isolo, where they discovered 886 containers prepared for drug concealment, alongside sealing devices, tin openers, paint sprays, 52 grams of cannabis, and a pack of gloves.
Authorities stated that Arinze confessed to removing the oil from the containers to hide cocaine.
In a different operation in Borno State, a 28-year-old woman, Aisha Adamu, was captured along the Gamboru Ngala road with 4.3 kilograms of “Colorado,” a powerful synthetic variant of cannabis. She is suspected of supplying narcotics to bandit factions active across the North-East and adjoining Chad.
Also in Lagos, a pastor from the Celestial Church of Christ, Agonvi Sea Beach, Badagry, Afolabi Hodonu, and his spouse, Success Hodonu, were taken into custody at the Gbaji checkpoint on April 2.
NDLEA officials seized 11 kilograms of skunk concealed in secret compartments of their vehicle.
Their capture followed the previous detention of a suspect, Sunday Samuel, who was found with 24.5 kilograms of skunk along the same route.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA officers intercepted a trailer transporting 48,000 tablets of tramadol along Namtari road in Yola South, resulting in the capture of the driver, Abdulaziz Ismail Korede, and a suspected recipient, Idris Adamu.
Additional seizures across the nation included 15 kilograms of skunk recovered from a 60-year-old suspect in Osogbo, Osun State; 351 kilograms of skunk confiscated from a forest in Itaogbolu, Ondo State; and 28,600 capsules of tramadol seized from a 66-year-old suspect in Benue State.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect, Roland Owie, after raiding a warehouse in Orhionmwon Local Government Area, where 1,378 kilograms of skunk were retrieved.
In Oyo State, a 40-year-old suspect, Ayantola Omodunmomi, was arrested in Ibadan following intelligence reports suggesting she allegedly utilized her 11-year-old daughter to distribute drugs. Officers discovered 45.6 kilograms of skunk at her residence.
The agency also indicated that its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign is ongoing nationwide with awareness initiatives conducted in schools across Oyo, Lagos, Kano, Anambra, and Zamfara states.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised officers involved in the operations, characterizing the arrests and recoveries as proof of the agency’s enhanced intelligence capabilities and ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking.
He asserted that the agency would persist in targeting drug networks, irrespective of the strategies or disguises employed.
