Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a notorious female drug kingpin in Lagos, recovering 23.50 kilograms of cocaine concealed in her children’s room, as the agency intensified nationwide operations that also led to multiple seizures of opioids and cannabis across several states.
The suspect, identified as Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, had been on the run since May 2024 following the dismantling of a trans-border cocaine trafficking cartel led by Bolanle Lookman Dauda and his wife, Olayinka Toheebat Dauda. The couple was arrested in May 2024 along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway while attempting to traffic cocaine to Ghana, with a total of 57.5 kilograms of the drug recovered from them during their arrest and subsequent search of their residence in Ogun State.
Following sustained intelligence gathering and surveillance, NDLEA operatives traced Shodunke to her residence at Onasanya Street, Surulere, Lagos, where she was arrested on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. A search of her home led to the discovery of a black suitcase containing 23.50 kilograms of cocaine hidden in her children’s room. The suspect admitted ownership of the drugs, estimated to have a street value of over ₦5 billion.
In a related operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, NDLEA officers intercepted a 36-year-old businessman, Nwanwene Robinson Destiny, at the Terminal II departure hall while attempting to board a flight to Milan, Italy. A search of his luggage revealed 1,020 pills of tramadol and tapentadol, which he confessed were meant for trafficking abroad in exchange for €200.
At the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, a 48-year-old Beninoise national, Leocardi Josu, was arrested while attempting to enter Nigeria with 3,400 tablets of tramadol. Similarly, along the Okene–Lokoja highway, a 30-year-old suspect, Abdullahi Adamu, was apprehended with 28.4 kilograms of skunk and Colorado, a synthetic cannabis.
In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives recovered 125,000 capsules of tramadol and 1,800 ampoules of pentazocine injection from a Toyota Hiace bus along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Two suspects were also arrested in Ibadan with 185.4 kilograms of skunk. Meanwhile, in Osun State, a raid in the Owena/Ijesha forest led to the seizure of 405 kilograms of skunk and the arrest of a suspect.
Further seizures were recorded along the Abuja–Kaduna highway, where a suspect was arrested with nearly 15,000 pills of tramadol concealed in kolanut sacks en route to Zamfara State.
Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across the country, targeting schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities in states including Anambra, Katsina and Ekiti.
Commending the operatives involved in the various arrests and seizures, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged officers nationwide to remain extra vigilant during the festive season while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism in both drug supply and demand reduction efforts.
Female Drug Kingpin Arrested in Lagos as NDLEA Intensifies Nationwide Crackdown
