NDLEA arrests 39-year-old Shodunke Simbiat after finding 23.5kg cocaine worth over ₦5 billion hidden in her kids’ room in Surulere, Lagos. Multiple drug busts across Nigeria yield tramadol, skunk, and synthetic cannabis
NDLEA Uncovers ₦5 Billion Cocaine Stash Hidden in Children’s Room, Arrests Female Trafficker in Lagos
In a shocking discovery, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 39-year-old suspected drug trafficker, Shodunke Simbiat, after recovering 23.5 kilograms of cocaine—valued at over ₦5 billion—concealed in a black suitcase inside her children’s bedroom.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi revealed in a Sunday statement that the arrest on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at Simbiat’s residence on 31 Onasanya Street, Surulere, Lagos, followed months of intelligence-led surveillance. She was identified as a major stash keeper for a trans-border drug syndicate.
Babafemi confirmed that Simbiat admitted ownership of the drugs during interrogation.
The bust comes 20 months after NDLEA dismantled a cocaine cartel led by couple Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda. On May 25, 2024, the pair was intercepted along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway en route to Ghana, leading to the seizure of 57.5 kilograms of cocaine from their Agbara, Ogun State home.
In a series of nationwide operations, NDLEA made several other significant arrests:
- At Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Thursday, 36-year-old businessman Nwanwene Robinson Destiny was caught at Terminal II attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy, with 1,020 pills of Tramadol 225mg and Tapentadol 200mg hidden in his luggage. He confessed he was to receive €200 for delivery.
- On December 18 at the Seme border, Badagry, 48-year-old Beninese national Leocardi Josu was arrested entering Nigeria with 3,400 tablets of Tramadol 225mg.
- Along the Okene-Lokoja highway, 30-year-old Abdullahi Adamu was intercepted with 28.4 kilograms of skunk and potent synthetic cannabis strain Colorado.
- In Oyo State, a raid on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway recovered 125,000 capsules of Tramadol and 1,800 ampoules of pentazocine injection from a Toyota Hiace bus. At Challenge Motor Park, Ibadan, two suspects—Ogunlade Kazeem, 54, and Adeleke Ismail, 30—were arrested with 185.4 kilograms of skunk.
- In Osun State, a forest raid in Owena/Ijesha yielded 405 kilograms of skunk and the arrest of 45-year-old Charles James.
- On the Abuja-Kaduna highway tollgate, 42-year-old Jamilu Zakari was caught with 14,960 pills of Tramadol 225mg concealed in kolanut sacks while heading to Zamfara State.
Praising the operatives, NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.) called for heightened vigilance during the festive season while maintaining professionalism in the ongoing war against drug trafficking and abuse across Nigeria.
The arrests underscore NDLEA’s intensified efforts to disrupt drug networks and protect public health amid rising concerns over illicit substances. Read More
