NDLEA seizes 10,000 pills of Captagon in Kwara State operation
Suspect arrested during routine search on Bode Saadu road
Agency reports wider raids, including cocaine, opioids and cannabis busts nationwide
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 10,000 pills of the highly addictive amphetamine known as Captagon in Kwara State, in what officials describe as part of an expanding nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking networks.
According to the agency, the seizure was made on April 21, 2026, during a routine patrol along Bode Saadu Road, where operatives stopped a commercial trailer carrying passengers.
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During a search, a 33-year-old suspect, Nasiru Mu’azu, was found with 10 packs of the substance, containing a total of 10,000 Captagon pills, alongside nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg.
Captagon, a powerful stimulant widely abused in parts of the Middle East, is known for inducing prolonged alertness, euphoria, and reckless behaviour. Security agencies have also linked the drug to funding of militant groups, including ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
NDLEA noted that the latest interception comes nearly five years after the first recorded seizure of Captagon in Africa at the Apapa Port in Lagos, highlighting a worrying spread of the substance across the region.
In a broader series of operations across the country, the agency also reported multiple arrests and seizures. In Oyo State, operatives intercepted a bus along the Ibadan–Oyo expressway, where a 33-year-old suspect, Eze Prince Emeka, was found to have ingested cocaine pellets. He later excreted 45 pellets weighing over 1 kilogram.
Investigations revealed the suspect allegedly attempted to bypass airport screening by transporting drugs via road, with plans to move them through trans-Saharan routes toward Europe via Algeria.
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Elsewhere, in Edo State, NDLEA officers intercepted a truck carrying over 1.1 million pills of pharmaceutical opioids, while in Lagos, a suspect was arrested with 810 kilograms of cannabis known as “Arizona.”
In Cross River State, the agency destroyed 20,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on eight hectares of farmland, and in Niger State, officers recovered components believed to be used for improvised explosive devices from a suspect.
The NDLEA says the coordinated operations reflect ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks exploiting multiple routes across Nigeria, including land, air, and transit corridors linked to international markets.
