The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a large consignment of Captagon, a dangerous stimulant linked to insurgency and organised crime, during an operation in Kwara State.
According to a statement issued by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, officers on routine patrol along Bode Saadu Road stopped a passenger vehicle on April 21, 2026, leading to the discovery.
A search of one of the occupants, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu, uncovered 10,000 pills of Captagon.
Operatives also recovered nine packets of Tapentadol, a potent opioid, from the suspect.
Captagon, widely abused in parts of the Middle East, is known for inducing heightened alertness, suppressing fear, and increasing aggression factors that have made it popular among militant groups.
Its trafficking has been linked to criminal networks and extremist organisations, including ISIS, raising concerns about its spread into Africa.
In a separate operation at the same checkpoint on April 24, NDLEA operatives intercepted a trailer fitted with a hidden compartment containing a large quantity of pharmaceutical drugs.
The seizure included 155,900 capsules of tramadol, 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection, 3,000 tablets of co-codamol, and 9,000 tablets of bromazepam.
A 24-year-old suspect, Aminu Isah, was arrested in connection with the haul.
Elsewhere in Oyo State, officers stopped a commercial bus along the Ibadan–Oyo expressway and arrested a passenger, Eze Prince Emeka, who was found to have ingested illicit substances.
While under observation, the suspect excreted 45 pellets of cocaine weighing more than one kilogram.
Investigations revealed he planned to smuggle the drugs to Europe through trans-Saharan routes, using Algeria as a transit point.
Further operations across the country led to additional significant seizures.
In Edo State, two suspects were arrested with more than 1.1 million pills of pharmaceutical opioids hidden in a truck bound for Onitsha.
In Lagos State, a suspect was apprehended with 810 kilograms of a cannabis strain known as “Arizona,” while in Bauchi State, another individual was caught with 154.5 kilograms of skunk.
In Ekiti State, operatives recovered 466.8 kilograms of skunk from a residence.
Meanwhile, in Cross River State, a joint operation with the military led to the destruction of 20,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated across eight hectares of farmland.
In a related development, NDLEA officers in Niger State intercepted a suspect transporting 394 components used in the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The suspect and recovered materials have been handed over to appropriate security agencies for further investigation.
Commending the nationwide operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the Captagon interception as a major breakthrough in efforts to prevent the resurgence of dangerous drug trafficking networks.
“We are not just seizing pills; we are disrupting the fuel that powers violence in our communities,” Marwa said.
He stressed that sustained enforcement efforts, alongside public awareness campaigns, remain critical in tackling drug abuse and trafficking across Nigeria.
