By OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted female drug kingpin, popularly known as Mama Kerosine, in Ibadan, Oyo State, while also detaining 22 Indian crew members of a merchant vessel over the seizure of 31.5 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Apapa port in Lagos.
The arrests came amid a series of coordinated interdictions by the Agency across the country, including the interception of consignments of Ketamine, Ecstasy and Tramadol pills concealed in sachets of coffee mix and a book parcel bound for Zambia and the United Kingdom.
The seizures were made at a courier company in Lagos on December 24 and 29, 2025.
Suspects and substances recovered from them
At the Apapa port, NDLEA operatives on Friday, January 2, 2026, uncovered 31.5kg of cocaine hidden in hatch three of a merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, which originated from the Marshall Islands.
Twenty-two Indian nationals were taken into custody in connection with the discovery. Those detained include the vessel’s master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, alongside 21 crew members: Bharati Manoj Kumar, Bhalerao Nilesh Mukund, Nadar Anthony Macson David, Kolusu Srinivasa Rao, Sagar Gaurav, Francis Anto Beemas Nester, Jagdeep Singh, Jai Parkash, Prabhukhan Singh, Nevage Sandesh Suresh, Pandey Prashant, Nittu Anand, Akash Babu, Dasari Raju, Reddy Nandika Sanjeeba, Rana Nivesh, Melethil Insaf Rahman, Barla Chantanya Krishna, Ghosh Arijit, Mondal Raihan and Gangwar Shiv Om.
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In Oyo State, NDLEA officers on Monday, December 29, 2025, arrested 65-year-old Fatima Ilori, a grandmother widely known in the drug underworld as Mama Kerosine.
She was apprehended in an intelligence-led operation at the Onireke/Elekuro area of Ibadan, following the seizure of 238.4kg of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, linked to her operations.
Another female suspect, Olusanya Abosede, 35, was also arrested.
Further north, the Agency disrupted drug supply routes to insurgents in Borno State with the arrest of two suspected suppliers.
Isa Mohammed, 26, was intercepted along the Maiduguri–Gamboru Ngala road on Friday, January 2, 2026, with 9,150 ampoules of Tramadol injection, while Musa Samaila, 30, was arrested the same day at Biu market with 34,000 capsules of Tramadol.
In Lagos, no fewer than 400kg of skunk were recovered alongside a van at the Mobolaji Johnson area on New Year’s Day, Thursday, January 1, 2026. Similarly, in Jigawa State, a suspect, Bilya Ibrahim, 39, was arrested on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at a motor park in Hadejia while attempting to transport 260 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 140.8kg from Taraba State to Nguru in Yobe State.
Kwara State also recorded major seizures, as NDLEA officers on Tuesday, December 30, recovered 238.5kg of skunk from a suspect’s residence at the Asadam area of Ilorin.
Another suspect, Abubakar Rabiu, 32, was arrested at Bode Saadu in Moro Local Government Area on New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, December 31, with 32,000 pills of Tramadol and Diazepam.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands across the country sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns, reaching schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
Recent activities included enlightenment lectures at Madrasatu Fadimatul Zahra Sabuwar Abuja Kankia in Katsina State, engagement with members of the Topo Youth Progressive Organisation in Badagry, Lagos, and an outreach to residents of Madalla community at the palace of the Hakimi Madalla in Niger State.
Commending officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), as well as personnel of the Apapa, Oyo, Borno, Lagos, Kwara and Jigawa Commands, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged them and their colleagues nationwide to intensify ongoing drug control efforts.
The commendation was conveyed in a statement signed by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, January 4, 2026.
