NDLEA Arrests Female Drug Boss in Lagos, Seizes 23.5kg of Cocaine
Story: written by Daniel December 21,2025
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a suspected female drug kingpin, Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, at her residence in Lagos, where 23.50 kilograms of cocaine were discovered hidden inside a suitcase in her children’s room.
The arrest followed sustained intelligence and surveillance by the agency, nearly 20 months after NDLEA dismantled a major cocaine trafficking syndicate led by a couple, Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda, in Lagos and Ogun states.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency recalled that the couple were arrested on May 25, 2024, while attempting to smuggle cocaine across the Lagos–Badagry Expressway en route to Ghana. A total of 57.5 kilograms of cocaine was recovered from them and their residence in Ogun State.
Further investigations identified Shodunke, 39, as a key stash keeper within the drug trafficking organisation. She was tracked to her home at Onasanya Street, Surulere, Lagos, on December 9, 2025. A search of the premises led to the recovery of the cocaine consignment, valued at over ₦5 billion in street value. She reportedly confessed ownership of the drugs.
In related operations, NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, intercepted a businessman attempting to smuggle over 1,000 pills of tramadol and tapentadol to Italy. Additional arrests and seizures were also recorded at the Seme border, along major highways in Kogi, Kaduna, Oyo, and Osun states, with large quantities of tramadol, skunk, and other illicit drugs recovered.
Commending the officers involved, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged personnel nationwide to maintain heightened vigilance and professionalism, especially during the festive season.
