NDLEA arrests ex-Lagos councillor, seizes drugs hidden in baby diapers
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a former councillor in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State, Sheleru Olalekan, over alleged involvement in illicit drug
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a former councillor in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State, Sheleru Olalekan, over alleged involvement in illicit drug trafficking.
The 45-year-old suspect, who previously served two terms representing the Orimedu community and currently works as a legislative aide, was arrested on March 2, 2026, at his residence in Ilado, Ibeju-Lekki.
NDLEA operatives reportedly recovered 40 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, from one of the rooms in his house during a search operation.
In a statement, the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the suspect admitted ownership of both the drugs and the property where they were found.
“In his statement, Sheleru admitted ownership of the exhibit and the property where it was recovered. He also confirmed that he had previously served two terms as a councillor representing Orimedu community in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Council,” he said.
In a separate operation in the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA officers on March 3 intercepted a 32-year-old businessman, Emeka Hyginus Okwor, who was travelling from Obollo-Afor in Enugu State to Zuba in Abuja.
A search of his luggage led to the discovery of 1,000 pills of tapentadol 250mg hidden inside baby diapers.
The suspect reportedly confessed that he was transporting the consignment to Guduwa village in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, where he operates a provision store.
Also on March 3, NDLEA 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 belonging to a 36-year-old Cameroonian national, Mey Ali Muhamat, who hails from Maroua in the Republic of Cameroon.
The suspect was travelling in a commercial bus from Lagos to Cameroon through Lokoja, Kano and Maiduguri, the statement added.
In another operation in Niger State on March 4, NDLEA operatives intercepted a commercial bus along the Mokwa–Jebba road coming from Ibadan in Oyo State with 500 pieces of improvised explosive device components concealed in a sack.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the intended recipient, 21-year-old Osama Abdullahi, in Pelegi, Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.
In Adamawa State, operatives in Yola recovered 122,000 pills of tramadol and 700 grams of methamphetamine hidden in the false bottom of a truck conveying 2,000 cartons of local drinks.
Similarly, in Kano State, officers arrested Muhammed Ali, 20, at Gadar Tamburawa on March 3 with 11,283 pills of tramadol.
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In Ogun State, NDLEA operatives conducting a raid in Ogere arrested two suspects, Nazifi Mudansir and Kabiru Musa, with 46 kilograms of skunk.
Two other suspects — Joy Chukwuma, 25, and Eugene Felix, 22 — were arrested on March 7 in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, with 18.63 kilograms of skunk, 10.8 litres of codeine-based syrup, and 4,268 pills of tramadol and swinol.
The agency also destroyed 1,910.25 kilograms of skunk on two farms in Egbisi forest in Uhumwonde Local Government Area of Edo State. Two suspects, Eke London, 48, and Austin Isusi, 49, were arrested during the operation, while another suspect, Alaba Adeboye, 47, was apprehended in Ikhin town, Owan East Local Government Area, with 176.50 kilograms of skunk.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA said its commands across the country have continued the War Against Drug Abuse enlightenment campaign in schools and communities. Sensitisation programmes were recently held in secondary schools across Oyo, Niger, Zamfara, Lagos, Sokoto, Ebonyi and Anambra states.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers of the Lagos, FCT, Kano, Niger, Kogi, Edo, Ogun, Delta and Adamawa commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control efforts nationwide.
