Ex-Lagos Councilor Arrested As NDLEA Recovers Drugs Hidden In Baby Diapers, Intercepts IED Components

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a former two-term councilor in Lagos State, Sheleru Sadiq Olalekan, over alleged involvement in illicit drug trafficking.

Olalekan, 45, who once represented the Orimedu community in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Council and currently serves as a legislative aide, was arrested on Monday, March 2, 2026, at his residence in Ilado, Ibeju-Lekki.

According to the agency, a search of his home led to the recovery of 40 kilograms of skunk, a strong strain of cannabis, hidden in one of the rooms. During interrogation, the suspect reportedly admitted ownership of both the drugs and the property where they were found.

In a separate operation in Abuja, NDLEA officers on Tuesday, March 3, intercepted a 32-year-old businessman, Emeka Hyginus Okwor, who was travelling from Obollo-Afor in Enugu State to Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory.

A search of his luggage uncovered 1,000 pills of tapentadol (250mg) concealed inside baby diapers. Okwor allegedly confessed that he was transporting the consignment to Guduwa village in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, where he runs a provision store.

On the same day, operatives on patrol along the Kabba–Obajana highway in Kogi State intercepted a consignment of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 1.55 kilograms.

The drugs were concealed inside a standing fan carton and traced to a 36-year-old Cameroonian national, Mey Ali Muhamat, from Maroua in Cameroon.Muhamat was travelling in a commercial bus from Lagos to Cameroon through Lokoja, Kano and Maiduguri when he was arrested.

In Niger State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Mokwa–Jebba road on Wednesday, March 4, intercepted a commercial bus coming from Ibadan in Oyo State. Hidden in a white sack were 500 components suspected to be used for the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the intended recipient, 21-year-old Osama Abdullahi, at Pelegi in Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.

Meanwhile, in Yola, Adamawa State, NDLEA officers discovered 122,000 pills of tramadol and 700 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the false bottom of a truck marked ENU 645XX. The vehicle was transporting 2,000 cartons of locally produced drinks at the time of the discovery.
Other arrests were also recorded across several states. In Kano State, a suspect identified as Muhammed Ali, 20, was arrested at Gadar Tamburawa on March 3 with 11,283 pills of tramadol.

In Ogun State, NDLEA operatives raided Ogere and arrested two suspects, Nazifi Mudansir and Kabiru Musa, after recovering 46 kilograms of skunk from them.

In Delta State, two suspects—Joy Chukwuma, 25, and Eugene Felix, 22—were arrested on Saturday, March 7, at Ogwashi-Uku. Officers recovered 18.63kg of skunk, 10.8 litres of codeine-based syrup, and 4,268 pills of tramadol and swinol from them.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided Egbisi forest in Uhumwonde Local Government Area, where they arrested 48-year-old Eke London and his accomplice, Austin Isusi, 49. During the operation, officers destroyed 1,910.25 kilograms of skunk cultivated on two farms.

In a separate raid at Ikhin town in Owan East Local Government Area, another suspect, Alaba Adeboye, 47, was arrested with 176.50 kilograms of skunk.

Beyond enforcement operations, NDLEA commands across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities.
Awareness lectures were delivered at Government Senior College, Apata in Ibadan, Oyo State; Government Girls Secondary School, Katcha in Niger State; Government Girls Day Secondary School, Tsafe in Zamfara State; Sango Junior Secondary School, Agege in Lagos State; Government Day Secondary School, Illela in Sokoto State; Archbishop Akinola International Secondary School, Afikpo in Ebonyi State; and Nnamdi Azikiwe Secondary School, Abagana in Anambra State.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers and men of the Lagos, FCT, Kano, Niger, Kogi, Edo, Ogun, Delta and Adamawa commands for their efforts.
He urged them to remain steadfast in pursuing the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining strong enforcement actions with sustained public sensitisation.