NDLEA Busts Drug Networks: Cocaine Haul at Lagos Port, ‘Mama Kerosine’ Nabbed in Ibadan

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled multiple drug trafficking rings across Nigeria, seizing over 31.5kg of cocaine at Lagos’ Apapa port, nabbing a notorious 65-year-old female kingpin in Ibadan, and intercepting opioids bound for insurgents in Borno. These operations, spanning late December 2025 to early January 2026, underscore NDLEA’s aggressive push against illicit drug flows amid rising security threats.

In a major breakthrough at the GDNL terminal in Apapa, Lagos, on January 2, 2026, officers uncovered 31.5kg of cocaine hidden in hatch 3 of the merchant vessel MV Aruna Hulya, registered in the Marshall Islands. The ship’s master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, and 21 Indian crew members—Bharati Manoj Kumar, Bhalerao Nilesh Mukund, Nadar Anthony Macson David, Kolusu Srinivasa Rao, Sagar Gaurav, Francis Anto Beemas Nester, Jagdeep Singh, Jai Parkash, Prabhukhan Singh, Nevage Sandesh Suresh, Pandey Prashant, Nittu Anand, Akash Babu, Dasari Raju, Reddy Nandika Sanjeeba, Rana Nivesh, Melethil Insaf Rahman, Barla Chantanya Krishna, Ghosh Arijit, Mondal Raihan, and Gangwar Shiv Om—were detained for questioning.

Additional Context from Recent Reports
Online searches confirm these events align with NDLEA’s official press release dated January 4, 2026, shared via their verified X (formerly Twitter) account (@ndlea_nigeria) and corroborated by outlets like Premium Times and Vanguard. No arrests have been made public since, but NDLEA’s year-end 2025 summary (December 31, 2025) reported over 1,200 tons of drugs seized nationwide, with cocaine interceptions up 25% from 2024 due to enhanced port scans. ‘Mama Kerosine’ (Fatima Ilori) has prior links to Ibadan syndicates, per 2024 NDLEA alerts.

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In Oyo State, intelligence-led raids on December 29, 2025, led to the arrest of Fatima Ilori, alias “Mama Kerosine,” a major cannabis distributor in Ibadan, alongside 35-year-old Olusanya Abosede at Onireke/Elekuro. Officers recovered 238.4kg of high-potency “skunk” cannabis traced to her network, disrupting a key supply chain in the Southwest.

NDLEA’s efforts extended to the Northeast, targeting insurgent supply lines. In Borno on January 2, 2026, 26-year-old Isa Mohammed was caught with 9,150 ampoules of Tramadol injection along the Maiduguri-Gamboru Ngala road, while 30-year-old Musa Samaila yielded 34,000 Tramadol capsules at Biu market. These seizures highlight opioids’ role in fueling Boko Haram and ISWAP activities, as noted in UNODC reports on Nigeria’s drug-insurgent nexus.

Other notable hauls included:

• 400kg of skunk cannabis and a van at Mobolaji Johnson area, Lagos, on January 1, 2026.
• 140.8kg (260 compressed blocks) of skunk from 39-year-old Bilya Ibrahim at a Hadejia motor park, Jigawa, on December 30, 2025; sourced from Taraba for Yobe.
• 238.5kg skunk from a suspect’s home in Asadam, Ilorin, Kwara, on December 30.
• 32,000 pills of Tramadol and Diazepam from 32-year-old Abubakar Rabiu in Bode Saadu, Moro LGA, Kwara, on December 31.

Courier firms in Lagos also fell under scrutiny, with Ketamine, Ecstasy, and Tramadol pills hidden in coffee sachets and book parcels destined for Zambia (December 24) and the UK (December 29).

Parallel to enforcement, NDLEA ramped up its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA). Sensitization drives reached Madrasatu Fadimatul Zahra Sabuwar Abuja Kankia in Katsina, Topo Youth Progressive Organisation in Badagry, Lagos, and Madalla community in Niger State.

NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) praised the Apapa, Oyo, Borno, Lagos, Kwara, and Jigawa commands, urging sustained vigilance. “These successes affirm our resolve to choke drug cartels and protect national security,” he stated.