The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has again intercepted a consignment of Captagon, a deadly amphetamine substance, in Kwara State, barely five years after recording the first seizure of the terror-linked drug in Africa at the Apapa seaport in Lagos.
Captagon is a tiny, highly addictive pill widely available across the Middle East. It produces a euphoric intensity in users, allowing them to stay awake for days, making them fearless and predisposing them to reckless action. Its production and sale are controlled by militias and criminal groups linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria as a means of generating funds for weapons and combatants.
The latest seizure, with a street value of up to $25 per pill, was made on April 21, 2026, when NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu road in Kwara State intercepted a trailer conveying passengers. A search of one passenger, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu, led to the recovery of 10,000 Captagon pills and nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg.
In another operation at the same patrol point on April 24, officers intercepted a trailer and recovered 155,900 capsules of tramadol, 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection, 3,000 tablets of Co-Codamol, and 9,000 tablets of Bromazepam concealed in a false compartment under the trailer. A 24-year-old suspect, Aminu Isah, has been taken into custody.
In Oyo State, operatives intercepted a commercial bus along the Ibadan/Oyo expressway on April 21. A passenger, Eze Prince Emeka, was subjected to a body scan that confirmed ingestion of illicit drugs. He excreted 45 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.043 kilograms. Further investigation revealed he was en route to Europe via trans-Saharan routes.
In Edo State, officers intercepted a truck conveying 1,196,000 pills of pharmaceutical opioids. Two suspects were arrested. In Lagos, a suspect was arrested conveying 810 kilograms of cannabis. In Bauchi, another suspect was nabbed with 288 blocks of skunk weighing 154.5 kilograms.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the operatives for their tactical precision, describing the Captagon seizure as a major blow to drug syndicates attempting to revive a dormant pipeline. “We are not just seizing pills; we are disrupting the fuel that powers violence in our communities. Our operatives remain on high alert across all frontiers to ensure this illicit trade finds no foothold,” he stated.
