Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dealt a crippling blow to illicit drug networks in Lagos, raiding three concealed warehouses in the Okota area and recovering opioids valued at a staggering ₦16.9 billion in Lagos.
This was contained in a statement made available to Blueprint.ng in Lagos by the rirector of media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the intelligence-driven operation, executed on Friday, April 17, 2026, targeted properties within Park View Estate, Ago Palace, Okota.
The locations included 98 Olukayode Awofisayo street and 5 Charles Ndumetu etreet, where traffickers had embedded large-scale storage facilities within a residential environment in a bid to evade detection.
Recovered from the warehouses were 2,360,000 pills of high-potency tramadol (225mg) and 1,909,400 bottles of codeine syrup, amounting to over 4.3 million units of controlled substances.
The seizures were packed in 19,094 cartons of codeine syrup and 34 cartons of tramadol, underscoring the industrial scale of the operation.
Reacting to the breakthrough, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), described the raid as a decisive strike against a major drug syndicate fueling substance abuse across the country.
He commended the operatives for their professionalism, precision, and resilience in executing the high-risk mission.
“The sheer volume of this seizure is a clear indication that our operatives are staying ahead of criminal networks determined to endanger lives,” Marwa stated.
“The discovery of such quantities within residential estates reveals both the desperation of these cartels and the sophistication of our intelligence framework.”
He reiterated the Agency’s unwavering commitment to dismantling drug trafficking rings, warning that no location—whether upscale neighborhoods or suburban hideouts—will shield offenders from the long reach of the law.
“This operation sends a strong message to those profiting from the destruction of lives and communities: there will be no safe haven. We will continue to degrade your financial base, dismantle your networks, and bring you to justice,” he warned.
The latest seizure marks one of the most significant in recent times and reinforces NDLEA’s intensified crackdown on opioid abuse and trafficking, a growing public health and security concern in Nigeria.
