Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted female drug kingpin, Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, following the recovery of 23.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside her residence in Lagos.
The suspect was arrested after months of intelligence-led surveillance, nearly 20 months after the NDLEA dismantled a trans-border cocaine trafficking syndicate operating across Lagos and Ogun states. The earlier operation led to the arrest of two other kingpins, a couple identified as Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda, in May 2024.
Confirming the development, NDLEA spokesman, Mr. Femi Babafemi, said Shodunke had gone into hiding after the initial arrests but was eventually tracked down by operatives of the agency.
Babafemi recalled that Lookman and Toheebat Dauda were arrested on Saturday, May 25, 2024, by officers of the NDLEA Special Operations Unit at Ibiye along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway while attempting to cross the land border into Ghana with a drug consignment.
“At the point of arrest, 42 blocks of cocaine weighing 47.5kg were recovered from them. A follow-up operation at their residence in Agbara, Ogun State, led to the seizure of an additional 10kg, bringing the total quantity of cocaine recovered from the couple to 57.5kg,” he said.
Determined to dismantle the entire network, NDLEA operatives later identified Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, a 39-year-old female, as a key stash keeper for the syndicate.
“She was arrested on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at her residence on Onasanya Street, Surulere, Lagos. A search of her apartment led to the discovery of 23.5kg of cocaine hidden in a black suitcase kept in her children’s room. The suspect admitted ownership of the drugs, which are estimated to be worth over ₦5 billion in street value,” Babafemi added.
In a related operation, NDLEA officers at the Terminal II departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, on Thursday, December 18, intercepted a 36-year-old businessman, Nwanwene Robinson Destiny, while attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
He was found with 1,020 pills of tramadol 225mg and tapentadol 200mg concealed in his luggage. The suspect, who claimed to be based in Italy, said he was to receive €200 upon successful delivery of the drugs.
At the Seme border in the Badagry area of Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested a 48-year-old Beninoise woman, Leocardi Josu, on the same day while attempting to enter Nigeria with 3,400 tablets of tramadol 225mg.
In Kogi State, a 30-year-old suspect, Abdullahi Adamu, was arrested along the Okene–Lokoja highway with 28.4kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis, and Colorado, a synthetic variant, on Friday, December 19.
Similarly, NDLEA officers in Oyo State recovered 125,000 capsules of tramadol and 1,800 ampoules of pentazocine injection from a Toyota Hiace bus along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway on the same day. Two suspects, Ogunlade Kazeem (54) and Adeleke Ismail (30), were also arrested with 185.4kg of skunk at Challenge Motor Park, Ibadan, on Wednesday, December 17.
In Osun State, operatives seized a total of 405kg of skunk during a raid on Owena/Ijesha forest, where a 45-year-old suspect, Charles James, was arrested on Friday, December 19.
Meanwhile, another suspect, Jamilu Zakari (42), was arrested the same day at a tollgate along the Abuja–Kaduna highway with 14,960 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in two sacks of kolanuts while travelling from Abuja to Gusau, Zamfara State.
Babafemi disclosed that NDLEA commands across the country also intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities during the past week. The awareness programmes were held in states including Anambra, Katsina and Ekiti.
Commending the series of operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised officers of the Special Operations Unit and commands at MMIA, Seme, Kogi, Kaduna, Oyo and Osun states for their professionalism and operational effectiveness.
He urged NDLEA personnel nationwide to remain vigilant during the festive season and to sustain high standards in both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts across the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment