NDLEA Intercepts Terror-Linked Drug ‘Captagon’ In Kwara, Suspect Excretes 45 Cocaine Wraps
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a large consignment of Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine linked to insurgency and organised crime, in Kwara State.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, officers on routine patrol along Bode Saadu Road stopped a passenger vehicle on April 21, 2026. A search of one of the occupants, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu, led to the discovery of 10,000 pills of Captagon.
Authorities also recovered nine packets of Tapentadol, a powerful opioid, from the suspect.
Captagon, widely abused in parts of the Middle East, is known for inducing extreme alertness, suppressing fear, and heightening aggression. These effects have made it a preferred drug among militant groups. Its production and trafficking have also been linked to criminal syndicates and extremist organisations, including factions associated with ISIS, raising serious concerns over its emergence in Africa.
In a related operation at the same Bode Saadu checkpoint on April 24, NDLEA operatives intercepted another trailer carrying a large cache of pharmaceuticals concealed in a specially constructed compartment.
Recovered items included 155,900 capsules of tramadol, 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection, 3,000 tablets of co-codamol, and 9,000 tablets of bromazepam. A 24-year-old suspect, Aminu Isah, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
In Oyo State, NDLEA officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Ibadan/Oyo Expressway and arrested a passenger, Eze Prince Emeka, who had ingested illicit drugs. Under observation, he excreted 45 wraps of cocaine weighing more than one kilogram. Investigations revealed he intended to smuggle the drugs to Europe via trans-Saharan routes, using Algeria as a transit point.
Further operations nationwide recorded additional seizures. In Edo State, two suspects were arrested with over 1.1 million pills of pharmaceutical opioids concealed in a truck bound for Onitsha. In Lagos, a suspect was apprehended with 810 kilograms of cannabis strain known as “Arizona,” while in Bauchi State, another was caught with 154.5 kilograms of skunk.
In Ekiti State, operatives recovered 466.8 kilograms of skunk from a residence, while in Cross River State, a joint operation with the military destroyed 20,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated across eight hectares of farmland.
In Niger State, NDLEA officers intercepted a suspect transporting 394 components used in the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The suspect and materials have been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
Commending officers across multiple commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), described the Captagon seizure as a major disruption of attempts to revive a dangerous drug pipeline into Nigeria.
“We are not just seizing pills; we are disrupting the fuel that powers violence in our communities,” Marwa said.
He added that sustained enforcement and public sensitisation remain key to combating drug abuse and trafficking in the country.