Available records show that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Edo State Command, recorded the largest drug haul in the state this year, while Customs recently intercepted a N1 billion cocaine shipment along the Badagry–Seme corridor.
The Edo State Command of the NDLEA said it seized illicit drugs worth N1.8 billion in the first three months of 2026. State Commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, disclosed the figures while presenting the command’s first-quarter operational scorecard in Benin City. “The Edo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has apprehended 104 suspected drug traffickers with 18,380 kilogrammes of narcotics estimated at N1.8bn,” Ofoyeju said.
According to Ofoyeju, those arrested during various intelligence-led raid operations comprised 71 males and 33 females. He explained that the 18,380kg of drugs recovered included 5,825kg seized and 12,556kg of cannabis destroyed on 10 farms covering 5.02260 hectares. The breakdown of the drugs is as follows: cannabis, 18,293kg; psychotropic substances, 6.01kg; methamphetamine, 0.1888kg; cocaine, 0.023kg; heroin, 0.0151kg; and codeine cough syrup, 81.4 litres.
Ofoyeju noted that the command secured 36 convictions at the Federal High Court in Benin City, comprising 32 males and four females. “Our prosecution efforts remain firm. We are ensuring that offenders face the full weight of the law,” he said. The command also rehabilitated 28 drug-dependent clients, while 66 others received counselling and were reunited with their families.
Separately, officers of the Nigeria Customs Service Seme Area Command intercepted 22 packages of suspected cocaine worth N1 billion concealed in a Toyota Highlander along the Badagry–Seme corridor on February 10, 2026. The handover to NDLEA took place on February 13, 2026, at the Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’. DCG Timi Bomodi, representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, said: “Our dedicated officers intercepted a Toyota Highlander carrying 22 packages suspected to be cocaine. These substances were carefully hidden in a special bunker underneath the vehicle’s axle”. One suspect was arrested in connection with the seizure.
Receiving the haul, Commander Abubakar Liman Wali of the NDLEA Lagos Strategic Command said: “This handover powerfully reflects the effectiveness of the Memorandum of Understanding between our agencies and the renewed, vigorous push to dismantle cross-border drug trafficking networks threatening our nation”. He assured that the NDLEA would conduct a thorough investigation, including field testing and forensic analysis, to ensure all individuals connected to the N1 billion cocaine shipment face justice.
Customs and NDLEA have both stressed strengthened inter-agency collaboration under a renewed Memorandum of Understanding to combat drug trafficking. The Comptroller-General of Customs said the Service “remains steadfast in our vigilance, adaptive in the face of evolving threats, and unyielding in our dedication to a safer, healthier Nigeria”.
