NDLEA Intercepts Drugs Hidden In Water Purifiers, Makes Multiple Arrests
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered consignments of high-potency illicit drugs concealed in water purifier machines shipped from the Netherlands to Lagos.
The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said operatives also recorded major drug seizures and arrests across Kaduna, Niger and Enugu states.
According to him, the operatives discovered and seized three kilograms of ketamine and 199 grams of MDMA (Ecstasy) pills hidden inside the water purifier machines at a courier company in Lagos on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA officers arrested a couple, Musa Sunday and Mercy Sunday, alongside another suspect, Salomi Ezekiel, 38, after recovering 100 jumbo bags of skunk weighing a total of 1,246 kilograms from their residence in the Gonin Gora area of the state on May 24.
In a separate operation the same day, operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Highway near Jere intercepted a 30-year-old suspect, Sunusi Musa, who was allegedly transporting 380 rounds of military-grade 7.62mm ammunition to Katsina State. The suspect and the recovered ammunition were subsequently handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation and action.
Meanwhile, acting on intelligence, NDLEA operatives in Niger State raided a warehouse at Gidan Kukah in Bosso Local Government Area, where they recovered 457 kilograms of skunk on May 27. A suspect, Godwin Zakka, 46, was later arrested at his residence in Gbeganu, Minna, in connection with the seizure.
In Enugu State, officers patrolling the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway on May 28 intercepted a commercial vehicle travelling to Taraba State. 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, identified as James Maigari Wisdom, was arrested during the operation.
Beyond enforcement activities, the agency said its commands nationwide continued the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities. Recent outreach programmes were conducted at Government Secondary School, Adiabo, Cross River State; St. Patrick’s Memorial College, Wukari, Taraba State; Roman Catholic Mission Nursery and Primary School, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State; and Kings Secondary School, Amawbia, Anambra State, among others.
Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised personnel of the Kaduna, Niger and Enugu commands, as well as the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), for their efforts in reducing drug supply while sustaining public sensitisation campaigns. He urged them to remain steadfast in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse across the country.
