- NDLEA arrests Lagos woman after months of intelligence tracking
- 23.50kg cocaine found inside her children’s room
- Drug stash valued at over ₦5 billion
- Arrest linked to a major trans-border trafficking cartel
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Lagos-based mother, Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, after uncovering 23.50 kilograms of cocaine worth over ₦5 billion concealed inside her children’s room, ending a 20-month manhunt linked to an international drug trafficking syndicate.
The arrest was confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday, December 21, 2025, by NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who described the suspect as a key stash keeper for a notorious trans-border cocaine trafficking network.
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According to the agency, Simbiat went underground in May 2024 following the arrest of the cartel’s leaders, a couple identified as Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda, who were intercepted along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway while attempting to smuggle cocaine to Ghana.
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“At the time of their arrest, operatives recovered 42 blocks of cocaine weighing 47.5kg from the couple,” Babafemi said. “A follow-up search of their Ogun State residence yielded another 10kg, bringing the total seizure to 57.5kg.”
NDLEA said sustained surveillance later led officers to Simbiat’s residence at 31 Onasanya Street, Surulere, Lagos, where a thorough search uncovered 23.50kg of cocaine neatly packed inside a suitcase hidden in her children’s room.
“She admitted ownership of the drug consignment, which has a street value exceeding ₦5 billion,” Babafemi disclosed.
The agency noted that the arrest forms part of a wider nationwide crackdown, with additional seizures recorded at MMIA Lagos, Seme Border, Ibadan, Osun forests, and along the Abuja–Kaduna highway, involving cocaine, tramadol, skunk, and other illicit substances.
NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling drug networks across Nigeria, stressing that no location or individual is beyond the reach of law enforcement.
