NDLEA arrests makeup artist, student for drug peddling

A 43-year-old makeup artist, Adekoya Mary, who claimed she was travelling to India for fibroid surgery, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, for attempting to smuggle 2.20 kilograms of cocaine concealed in her suitcase.

The arrest, which occurred on Monday,  June 16, 2025, followed credible intelligence.

A statement released on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said Adekoya was placed under surveillance and allowed to check in her luggage before being apprehended at the boarding gate of her Qatar Airways flight to India via Doha.

Upon inspection, Babafemi said NDLEA officers found two large parcels of cocaine factory-fitted inside the walls of her suitcase.

He said during interrogation, the suspect confessed to embarking on the trip under the guise of seeking medical attention but was in fact, motivated by financial incentives.

“When her luggage was searched, two large parcels of cocaine weighing 2.20kg were found concealed in the walls of the suitcase she was carrying.

“In her statement, she claimed she embarked on the trip for financial benefits but under the pretext of going to India for surgery to remove fibroid from her stomach.

Further investigation revealed the suspect was recruited and funded by a drug baron currently at large, Akeem Ayinde Adekanbi who owns Rockford Hotel located in Sango area of Ogun state while he lives at Igbe Laara in Igbogbo area of Ikorodu, Lagos state”, the statement added.

At a courier company in Lagos, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation  on June 19 intercepted a shipment of sewn female dresses containing 1.3kg Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, going to Bahrain.

He added that at another courier firm the previous day, on June 19, operatives uncovered 850 grams of cocaine concealed in cloth hangers heading to Australia.

In Bauchi State, acting on intelligence, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives arrested Ibrahim Galadima, 37, and Ibrahim Muhammed, 28, along the Bauchi-Darazo road on 16th June, recovering 1,013,000 pills of opioids including tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5.

“While 38-year-old Bishir Isyaku was nabbed on Tuesday 17th June at Gwargwaje along Kaduna – Zaria expressway with 14.2kg skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in two sacks of charcoal and seven cartons of rubber solution weighing 198kg, NDLEA operatives in Abuja on Wednesday 18th June arrested Murtala Adamu, Ahmed Ismai’l and four others during raid operations at Karu Abbattoir and Torabora areas of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. Recovered from them include 6.9kg skunk and 59grams of methamphetamine,”he added.

Babafemi said at the Kano Command, officers apprehended multiple suspects, including Umar Hamisu, 19, and Dahiru Abdullahi, 32, along Zaria-Kano road on Thursday, 19th June, with 56.2kg of skunk. Others arrested included Obiwuru Henry with 23,720 tramadol capsules and 1,400 ampoules of pentazocine, Abubakar Modu with 36.6kg of skunk, and Abdulkadir Muhammed with 32kg.

In another operation in Kwara State, Babafemi said a 22-year-old student of Kwara State Polytechnic, Olotin Nifemi, was arrested on June 19, along Kwara Poly Road, Ilorin, with 1kg of skunk.

She was identified as a notorious dealer supplying drugs to other students.

Babafemi said, “A 22-year-old female Student of Kwara State Polytechnic, Olotin Nifemi, notorious for selling illicit substances to other students, was on Thursday June 19 arrested at her base along Kwara Poly road, Ilorin, with 1kg skunk.”

In Edo State, he said a major raid at Ugbada camp, Uzebba forest in Owan West LGA on Friday June 20, led to the destruction of 4,226.11kg of skunk and the arrest of a suspect, Albert Shamaki, 33.

Babafemi noted that additional raids at Big Jamaya supermarket in Emado and a provision shop at Idumeka Igueben resulted in the seizure of various illicit substances and arrests of suspects Esther Abumere, 28, and Eko Gift, 38.

“Illicit substances recovered during these operations included Colorado, Loud, Molly, Tramadol, and other opioids,” he added.