Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a Milan-bound businessman, Philip Tunde, with 4.80 kilograms of cocaine concealed in the soles of shoes and the railings of travel bags at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The 38-year-old suspect was arrested on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
A thorough search by NDLEA operatives led to the recovery of 16 parcels of a white powdery substance concealed in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, as well as 195 wraps of the same substance hidden in the railings of four travelling bags. The substances tested positive for cocaine, with a combined weight of 4.80kg. The NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
During interrogation, Tunde claimed he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes, while the consignment hidden in the bags was intended for delivery to his partner in Italy. According to him, the suspect said he raised the money from compensation paid to him for an injury he sustained while working at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, where he lost the tips of two fingers.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives destroyed a total of 20,234 kilograms of skunk on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farm in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State, on Wednesday, September 30. The operation followed activities targeting cannabis cultivation in the state. This is part of the NDLEA's efforts to curb the production and distribution of illicit substances.
The NDLEA also made several other seizures across the country. In Plateau State, operatives arrested a 41-year-old suspect, Agbo Dennis, on Tuesday, September 29, at the West of Mines area of Jos North, following the seizure of 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg. Additionally, NDLEA operatives in Lagos raided an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, on Monday, September 28, recovering 209,000 tablets of tramadol.
Further seizures were made in Lagos and Kogi State. On Wednesday, September 30, NDLEA operatives recovered 61 grams of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, and 24 grams of methamphetamine concealed inside a bottle of an energy drink packaged as a waybill and transported by a commercial bus driver along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. In Kogi State, officers intercepted a Lagos-Abuja commuter bus and discovered two sachets of methamphetamine weighing 1kg concealed in a waybill.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended officers and men of the MMIA, Apapa, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Plateau and Osun Commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the operations. He urged the officers to sustain the agency's efforts against drug trafficking networks while continuing with its current balanced approach to drug control.
Key points
- The NDLEA intercepted 4.8kg of cocaine hidden in shoes and bags at the Lagos airport.
- The suspect, Philip Tunde, claimed to have raised the money for the cocaine from compensation for an injury sustained while working in Italy.
- The NDLEA made several other seizures across the country, including the destruction of 20,234 kilograms of skunk in Osun State.
