As NDLEA Intercepts Italy-Bound Opioids, Nabs Businessman, Beninoise Lady, Others in Nationwide Raids
Twenty months after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) dismantled a cocaine trafficking cartel led by a couple in Lagos and Ogun states, another key figure in the syndicate has been arrested in Lagos, with a large cache of cocaine discovered hidden inside her children’s room.
The suspect, identified as Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, a 39-year-old female drug kingpin and stash keeper for the trans-border drug trafficking organisation (DTO), was arrested at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, following months of intelligence gathering, surveillance and tracking by NDLEA operatives.
A total of 23.50 kilograms of cocaine, a Class A drug, was recovered from her home, bringing renewed attention to the sophisticated methods used by drug cartels to conceal illicit substances within residential spaces and family environments.
This arrest came nearly two years after NDLEA operatives smashed a major cocaine trafficking cartel led by Bolanle Lookman Dauda and his wife, Olayinka Toheebat Dauda, during a high-risk operation in May 2024.
The couple, described as kingpin Lookman and his queen Toheebat, were apprehended on Saturday, 25th May 2024, by operatives of a Special Operations Unit of the Agency at Ibiye, along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway, while attempting to cross the land border to deliver a large consignment of cocaine to Ghana.
At the point of their arrest, NDLEA officers recovered 42 blocks of cocaine weighing 47.5 kilograms from the couple. Acting swiftly on actionable intelligence, the operatives carried out a follow-up operation at their residence located at Plot 24/25, OPIC Extension, Petedo Road, Agbara, Ogun State, where an additional eight blocks of cocaine weighing 10 kilograms were recovered.
This brought the total weight of cocaine seized from the couple to 57.5 kilograms, with an estimated street value running into several billions of naira.
Determined to dismantle the entire network and bring every member of the syndicate to justice, the NDLEA sustained intelligence-led operations on the cartel, which operated across state and national borders. Continuous surveillance and follow-up investigations eventually led to the identification of Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat as a critical member of the drug trafficking organisation who played the role of a stash keeper.
Following credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives trailed the suspect to her residence at 31 Onasanya Street, Surulere, Lagos, where she was arrested on Tuesday, 9th December 2025. A thorough search of the premises led to the shocking discovery of 23.50 kilograms of cocaine, concealed inside a black suitcase hidden in her children’s room—an act investigators described as both criminal and reckless, endangering the lives of innocent minors.
During preliminary interrogation, the suspect admitted ownership of the cocaine consignment, which is estimated to be worth over ₦5 billion in street value, underscoring the scale and profitability of the illicit drug trade and the extent to which traffickers are willing to go to evade detection.
Meanwhile, in another major interdiction, NDLEA operatives attached to the Terminal II departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted an Italy-bound drug courier on Thursday, 18th December. The suspect, Nwanwene Robinson Destiny, a 36-year-old businessman, was arrested while attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy, where he is based.
A search of his luggage led to the discovery of 1,020 pills of tramadol 225mg and tapentadol 200mg, both powerful opioids, carefully concealed to avoid detection. During questioning, the suspect claimed that the successful trafficking of the drugs to Italy would have earned him two hundred euros (€200) from his contact abroad, a revelation that highlights how traffickers exploit desperation and economic vulnerability to recruit couriers.
At the Seme border in the Badagry area of Lagos, NDLEA officers on Thursday, 18th December, arrested a 48-year-old Beninoise national, Leocardi Josu, while attempting to illegally cross into Nigeria with 3,400 tablets of tramadol 225mg concealed on him. The arrest further underscores the porous nature of trans-border drug trafficking routes and the need for sustained vigilance at Nigeria’s land borders.
In Kogi State, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect, Abdullahi Adamu, 30, along the Okene–Lokoja highway on Friday, 19th December, with 28.400 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, as well as Colorado, a synthetic variant of cannabis.
Similarly, in Oyo State, NDLEA officers on Friday, 19th December, recovered a massive consignment of 125,000 capsules of tramadol and 1,800 ampoules of pentazocine injection from a Toyota Hiace bus marked XD 592 AWL along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. In a related operation, two suspects—Ogunlade Kazeem, 54, and Adeleke Ismail, 30—were arrested at Challenge Motor Park, Ibadan, on Wednesday, 17th December, with 185.4 kilograms of skunk.
In Osun State, NDLEA operatives raided the Owena/Ijesha forest, a known hideout for drug cultivation and storage, where they recovered a total of 405 kilograms of skunk. A suspect, Charles James, 45, was arrested during the operation on Friday, 19th December.
On the same day, along the Abuja–Kaduna highway, NDLEA officers arrested Jamilu Zakari, 42, at a tollgate with 14,960 pills of tramadol 225mg. The opioid consignment was ingeniously concealed inside two kolanut sacks (huhun goro) and was being transported from Abuja to Gusau, Zamfara State.
Beyond enforcement, NDLEA commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation and advocacy campaigns during the past week. These activities included enlightenment lectures and outreach programmes in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
Notable engagements included WADA lectures for students and staff of secondary schools in Anambra State at the Women Development Centre, Awka; at the Youth Craft Village, Malumfashi, Katsina State; and sensitisation sessions with members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, among others.
Commending the officers and men of the Special Operations Unit, MMIA, Seme, Kogi, Kaduna, Oyo and Osun Commands for their professionalism, courage and operational dexterity, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), charged them and their colleagues nationwide to remain extra vigilant during the festive season.
He further enjoined all NDLEA personnel to ensure that the highest standards of professionalism are maintained in both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts, stressing that the Agency will not relent in its mandate to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs and protect the health, security and future of its citizens.
Discussion about this post