NDLEA Arrests 306 Suspects in Ogun as Secret Drug Lab Run by Foreigners Is Uncovered

(NDLEA Ogun. Photo Credit: Daily Post)

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ogun State Command, has announced the arrest of no fewer than 306 suspects and the prosecution of 64 others for various drug-related offences between January and May 2026.

Of those arrested, 272 were male and 34 female.

State Commander Tijjani Rabe disclosed this on Thursday at a press briefing held to mark the 2026 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, themed "The World Drug Problem: Persistent Issues, New Challenges, Innovative Responses."

Rabe noted that the theme resonates directly with the situation in Ogun State, and said that among those arrested, 136 males and four females were counselled.

Seizures within the period included 2,518.16kg of cannabis sativa, 86.74kg of methamphetamine, cocaine and tramadol, 44.90 litres of codeine, and 171.50 litres of skuchies and monkey tail.

Reviewing the 2025 figures, the commander said 771 individuals were arrested 650 males and 121 females of whom 318 were counselled and 159 convicted.

Seizures that year amounted to 6,179.25kg of cannabis sativa, 236.52kg of methamphetamine, cocaine and tramadol, 1,435.62 litres of codeine, and 1,220.13 litres of skuchies and monkey tail.

Rabe added that sensitisation programmes reached no fewer than 60,100 persons in 2025 and 53,269 in the first five months of 2026.

He also revealed that a large-scale methamphetamine clandestine laboratory operated by Mexicans was recently discovered and dismantled in the state, describing the find as a red flag signalling a shift in traffickers' tactics toward establishing production facilities within local communities.

"The presence of a clandestine lab in our state is a red flag; it indicates traffickers are now shifting tactics.

They are now establishing production facilities within our communities, exploiting industrialisation and isolated locations.

This unfortunate development is a call for heightened vigilance by community leaders, landlords' associations, and residents to be on alert for unusual chemical odours, excessive generator use at odd hours, high perimeter fencing and restricted access to properties," he warned.

Rabe reaffirmed the command's commitment to preventing the state from becoming a hub for drug production and urged residents to report suspicious activities, stressing that intelligence saves lives.

In her remarks, the Wife of the Ogun State Governor and Matron of the State Drug Control Committee, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun represented by Dr Funke Oyeneye, Executive Secretary of the State Drug and Health Commodities Management Agency (OGDHMA) urged parents and guardians to monitor their wards closely to shield them from drug abuse, and pledged continued support for the NDLEA's advocacy efforts.