Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker fitted with a concealed compartment used to transport 2,145 kilogrammes of cannabis, in one of several major drug seizures recorded across nine states.
The tanker, marked MKA 960 XC, was intercepted along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway in Ondo State on Friday, September 4, 2026, after its driver allegedly refused to stop when flagged down by NDLEA officers.
According to the NDLEA Director of Media and Publicity, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, the driver reportedly abandoned the tanker at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and fled into the bush, prompting operatives to conduct a search of the vehicle.
The search uncovered a false compartment concealed within the tanker, where 165 bags of cannabis, weighing a total of 2,145kg, were hidden alongside the legitimate fuel cargo reportedly destined for Jos, Plateau State.
The NDLEA said the tanker had become notorious for evading arrest in previous operations, making its interception a significant breakthrough in the agency’s intelligence-led efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks.
The tanker seizure formed part of a wider coordinated crackdown by NDLEA operatives across Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu states, resulting in the recovery of large quantities of cannabis, tramadol, methamphetamine, codeine and other psychotropic substances.
In Lagos, operatives recovered 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, valued at more than N1.1 billion, concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton consignment from Pakistan. Another 57.80kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis valued at more than N173 million, was recovered from a shipment from Singapore.
The agency also intercepted 598.08kg, comprising 890 packets, of cannabis-laced cookies and gummies in a 40-foot container at the Tincan Port in Lagos. The seizure was linked to an earlier interception involving 842.54kg of cannabis-infused cookies.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives recovered 864,000 opioid pills, particularly tramadol, from a residence linked to a fleeing suspect, while 2kg of methamphetamine was seized in another operation in Michika.
Other operations recorded significant seizures, including 636kg of cannabis concealed in chicken manure aboard a bus travelling from Ondo State to Jos along the Okene/Lokoja highway in Kogi State.
In Taraba State, more than 109kg of assorted controlled substances, including tramadol, diazepam, pentazocine, phenobarbital, nitrazepam, bromazepam and pregabalin, were recovered from a vehicle travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA officers intercepted a truck loaded with bags of cement along the Zaria-Kano Expressway and recovered 1,179kg of skunk. In Ekiti State, operatives destroyed a four-hectare cannabis farm in Efon-Alaaye forest and recovered 117kg of already harvested skunk.
The nationwide operations also extended to Enugu, where 40,590 capsules of tramadol were recovered during an interception at Ugbema Junction.
Babafemi disclosed that the operations demonstrate the agency’s continued intelligence-led approach to dismantling drug trafficking networks and preventing illicit substances from reaching the public.
He also said the coordinated operations were part of the agency’s sustained efforts to disrupt the activities of traffickers who continue to devise new methods of concealing and transporting illicit drugs.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers and men involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
Marwa stressed that traffickers attempting to evade detection through new identities, legitimate business fronts, or sophisticated concealment methods would continue to be tracked down by the agency.
