The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has arrested a man, Njimogu Ikedi, for attempting to smuggle cocaine and other psychoactive drugs into the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The spokesperson for the FCT Command, Samson Duza, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja.
Duza noted that the substances recovered included cocaine, cannabis sativa, and other illicit psychoactive items.
He added that the Controller of Corrections for the FCT Command, Christopher Jen, immediately ordered the suspect’s arrest and his subsequent handover to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution.
Earlier in September, SaharaReporters reported that NDLEA intercepted a massive consignment of cocaine valued at N5.3 billion and codeine worth N1.1 billion, in what it described as a major breakthrough in its fight against organized criminal drug cartels.
According to a statement by the agency signed by the director of media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi, “an international organized criminal group (IOCG) operating between Nigeria, UK, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirate has been smashed by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) who in a two-week-long intelligence-led operations across parts of Lagos arrested three leaders of the cartel after intercepting large consignment of cocaine concealed in textile materials and local charms going to Sydney, Australia at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.”
The NDLEA explained that the unraveling of the cartel began on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, when its officers intercepted 76 cartons of textile materials bound for Sydney.
“A thorough search of the shipment led to the recovery of 16 big blocks of cocaine weighing 17.9 kilograms hidden in the lace materials parked with local charms to provide spiritual cover against law enforcement detection.”
A freight agent, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, was the first to be arrested in connection with the consignment, which was “expected to fetch the syndicate an estimated street value of over 5.3 million Australian Dollars, equivalent of N5.3 billion.”
The NDLEA investigation later unmasked other leaders of the group, including Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi and Shola Adegoke, who were both arrested in Lagos.
