The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a shipment of the stimulant drug Captagon in Kwara State, as part of a series of anti-narcotics operations carried out nationwide.
The seizure marks a notable development, coming nearly five years after the agency recorded what it described as Africa’s first Captagon interception at Apapa Port in Lagos.
Captagon, an amphetamine-based substance, is known for its highly addictive properties and is widely misused in parts of the Middle East.
The NDLEA noted that the drug induces intense euphoria, reduces fatigue, and enables users to remain awake for prolonged periods, often lowering inhibitions and encouraging risky behaviour.
The agency further linked the drug’s production and trafficking to extremist and criminal networks, including groups associated with ISIS, stating that proceeds are used to fund armed activities while the substance itself is consumed to sustain combatants.
Details of the operations were contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
He said, “The latest seizure of captagon, which street value costs as much as $25 a pill, was made on Tuesday 21st April 2026 when NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu road, Kwara State, intercepted a trailer conveying passengers.
“A search conducted on one of the passengers, 33-year-old N. Mu’azu, led to the recovery of 10 packs of captagon consisting of 10,000 pills and nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg.”
Babafemi also disclosed that a separate operation at the same location on April 24 led to the interception of another trailer marked RMY-70XA.
“A search of the truck led to the recovery of 155,900 capsules of Tramadol; 6,000 ampoules of Tramadol injection; 3,000 tablets of Co-Codamol; and 9,000 tablets of Bromazepam concealed in a false compartment constructed under the trailer.
“A 24-year-old suspect, Aminu Isah, has been taken into custody in connection with the seizure,” the statement added.
In Oyo State, operatives stopped a commercial bus along the Ibadan–Oyo Expressway on April 21 while it was heading to Sokoto. A passenger, 33-year-old Eze Prince Emeka, was singled out for a body scan, which confirmed ingestion of illicit substances.
“A 33-year-old passenger, Eze Emeka, was brought down from the vehicle and taken for a body scan, which confirmed ingestion of illicit drug.
“The suspect, who claims to be a businessman in Sokoto, was subsequently placed under close excretion observation during which he excreted a total of forty-five (45) pellets of cocaine with a total weight of 1.043 kilograms in three excretions,” Babafemi said.
He added, “The decision to travel by road to Sokoto with the illicit drug in his stomach was to evade detection by NDLEA at the airport, while further investigation reveals that upon arrival in Sokoto, the suspect was to excrete the pellets, rest for a few days, and subsequently re-ingest the substances to continue the journey through the trans-Saharan routes, with Algeria as a transit point and possible final destination in Europe.”
Further seizures were recorded in other parts of the country. In Edo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck transporting 1,196,000 pills of pharmaceutical opioids along the Benin–Lagos Expressway. Two suspects, Osagie Igbinibo, 43, and Omijie Malik, 44, were arrested, with the consignment reportedly destined for Onitsha.
