Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker equipped with a hidden compartment containing 2,145 kilogrammes of cannabis, in one of several significant drug seizures recorded across nine states.
The tanker, with registration number MKA 960 XC, was intercepted along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway in Ondo State on Friday, September 4, 2026, after its driver allegedly failed to stop when signalled by NDLEA operatives.
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 before escaping into the bush, leading operatives to search the vehicle.
During the search, officers discovered a false compartment concealed inside the tanker, containing 165 bags of cannabis with a combined weight of 2,145kg. The illicit consignment was hidden alongside the lawful fuel cargo, which was reportedly being transported to Jos, Plateau State.
The NDLEA said the tanker had gained notoriety for repeatedly escaping arrest during previous operations, making its interception an important breakthrough in the agency’s intelligence-driven efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks.
The tanker seizure was part of a broader coordinated operation conducted by NDLEA operatives across Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu states, leading to the recovery of substantial quantities of cannabis, tramadol, methamphetamine, codeine and other psychotropic substances.
In Lagos, operatives seized 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, worth more than N1.1 billion, concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton consignment imported from Pakistan. A separate 57.80kg consignment of Loud, a synthetic form of cannabis valued at more than N173 million, was also recovered from a shipment originating from Singapore.
The agency further intercepted 598.08kg, consisting of 890 packets, of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies inside a 40-foot container at the Tincan Port in Lagos. The seizure was connected to a previous interception involving 842.54kg of cannabis-laced cookies.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives recovered 864,000 opioid pills, mainly tramadol, from a residence associated with a suspect who had fled, while another operation in Michika led to the seizure of 2kg of methamphetamine.
Other operations also produced major seizures, including 636kg of cannabis concealed inside chicken manure aboard a bus travelling from Ondo State to Jos through 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 carrying bags of cement along the Zaria-Kano Expressway and recovered 1,179kg of skunk. In Ekiti State, operatives destroyed a four-hectare cannabis plantation in Efon-Alaaye forest and recovered 117kg of already harvested skunk.
The nationwide operations also covered Enugu State, 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.
