NDLEA seizes terror drug, Captagon, in Kwara, five years after first seizure
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted 10,000 pills of the terror-linked drug Captagon in Kwara State, signaling renewed trafficking attempts nearly five years after its first seizure in Nigeria.
Captagon, an addictive amphetamine associated with criminal networks and groups such as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is known to heighten aggression, suppress fear, and keep users awake for long periods.
The seizure was made on April 21, 2026, along Bode Saadu Road in Kwara when operatives arrested 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu and recovered the pills alongside quantities of Tapentadol.
In another operation on April 24 at the same location, officers intercepted a trailer carrying 155,900 tramadol capsules, 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection, 3,000 co-codamol tablets, and 9,000 bromazepam tablets concealed in a false compartment, leading to the arrest of Aminu Isah.
In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives arrested Eze Prince Emeka after a body scan confirmed drug ingestion, and he subsequently excreted 45 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.043 kilograms.
Investigations revealed the suspect planned to transport the cocaine through trans-Saharan routes via Algeria to Europe after temporarily stopping in Sokoto.
In Edo State, officers intercepted a truck conveying 1,196,000 pills of pharmaceutical opioids along the Benin-Lagos expressway and arrested Osagie Igbinibo and Omijie Malik.
Additional operations led to the seizure of 810 kilograms of cannabis in Lagos, 154.5 kilograms of skunk in Bauchi, and 466.8 kilograms recovered from a residence in Ekiti, while 20,000 kilograms of cannabis were destroyed in Cross River.
Operatives also recovered 394 improvised explosive device components from Mohammed Aliyu in Niger State, with plans to transfer the suspect and exhibits to appropriate security agencies.
Chairman of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the officers and reaffirmed that the agency will prevent Captagon and other illicit drugs from gaining a foothold in Nigeria.
The statement detailing the operations was issued by Femi Babafemi, the director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, on Sunday.
