A consignment of 42.622 kilograms of illicit drugs destined for fishing settlements in Cameroon has been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on the high seas off Akwa Ibom State, with cocaine cleverly concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu.
The interception followed credible intelligence that led NDLEA operatives to stop a wooden boat on Friday, August 21, 2026, while it was conveying the drugs to fishing ports in the Republic of Cameroon.
The boat was heading towards Ine Isu, Ine Mbah and Ine Ikot Itie Udung fishing ports when it was intercepted.
Three suspects arrested aboard the vessel were identified as 29-year-old Etima Effiong Eekpo, 33-year-old Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh and 27-year-old Kingsley Effiong John.
Eekpo was found with 1.120 kilograms of skunk, while Etukudoh was in possession of 42.060 kilograms of skunk.
John was caught with 435 grams of skunk and 20 grams of cocaine, with the cocaine allegedly hidden inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu in an apparent attempt to evade detection.
The operation brings the total quantity of narcotics recovered from the three suspects to 42.622 kilograms.
The interception highlights the increasingly creative methods allegedly being employed by drug traffickers to move illicit substances across Nigeria’s waterways and into neighbouring countries.
For the NDLEA, the operation also underscores the importance of intelligence-led maritime surveillance in disrupting cross-border drug trafficking networks before consignments reach their intended destinations.
The three suspects remain in custody as investigations continue into the source of the drugs and their intended distribution network in Cameroon.