NDLEA uncovers illicit drug consignments in water purifying machines from Europe

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said its operatives have uncovered consignments of illicit drugs concealed in water purifier machines shipped from the Netherlands to Lagos.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the drugs were intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on May 26, 2026.

The agency said the seized substances included three kilograms of ketamine and 199 grams of MDMA, popularly known as ecstasy, which were hidden inside the water purifier machines.

In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives arrested a couple, Musa Sunday and Mercy Sunday, alongside another suspect, Salomi Ezekiel, 38, after recovering 100 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 1,246 kilograms from their residence in the Gonin Gora area on May 24.

On the same day, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Highway at Jere intercepted a 30-year-old suspect, Sunusi Musa, with 380 rounds of 7.62mm military-grade ammunition allegedly being transported to Katsina State. The suspect and the ammunition were subsequently handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.

In Niger State, operatives acting on intelligence raided a warehouse in Gidan Kukah, Bosso Local Government Area, where 457 kilograms of skunk were recovered on May 27. A suspect, Godwin Zakka, 46, was later arrested at his residence in Gbeganu, Minna, in connection with the seizure.

Meanwhile, in Enugu State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway intercepted a commercial vehicle travelling to Taraba State on May 28. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 22,000 tramadol pills, 100 ampoules of pentazocine and 200 grams of bromazepam. One suspect, James Maigari Wisdom, was arrested.

The agency also said its commands and formations across the country continued anti-drug abuse sensitisation campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations in Kaduna, Niger and Enugu states, as well as the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, for the arrests and seizures.

He urged personnel across the country to sustain efforts aimed at reducing drug supply while intensifying public sensitisation against drug abuse.