The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has warned Nigerians against receiving consignments from relatives and friends abroad without confirming their contents, amid a growing pattern of illicit drugs being concealed in consolidated cargoes.
NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, issued the warning on Sunday in a post on his official X handle, saying unsuspecting Nigerians were increasingly being exposed to criminal liability over drugs allegedly hidden in packages sent from overseas.
According to Babafemi, some Nigerians living abroad are allegedly using consolidated cargoes to send illicit drugs, particularly cannabis strains known as Colorado and Loud, to family members and friends in Nigeria.
He said recipients who do not know about the drugs could nevertheless find themselves listed as consignees or recipients of the consignments and subsequently face arrest and prosecution.
“Some of our ‘abroad’ people are sending home consolidated cargoes contaminated with illicit drugs, especially Colorado and Loud, putting their family members and friends as consignees or recipients,” Babafemi said.
He urged Nigerians who are not involved in drug trafficking to be cautious about accepting packages on behalf of people abroad, especially when they do not know exactly what the consignments contain.
“The warning here is, if you’re not part of the syndicate, don’t accept to receive consignments on behalf of your ‘abroad’ brother or sister or friend, particularly if you don’t know the full content of the consignment,” he said.
Babafemi said several Nigerians had already been arrested in connection with such consignments, adding that the number of arrests was increasing as NDLEA officers continued their daily enforcement operations.
“Many are already behind bars for this, and the number keeps increasing with daily operations by NDLEA officers,” he said.
The warning highlights the potential legal consequences for individuals whose names are attached to consignments containing prohibited substances, even where they claim not to have known what was concealed inside the packages.
Babafemi therefore urged Nigerians to avoid receiving unidentified or inadequately disclosed consignments from overseas contacts and to establish the full contents of any package before accepting responsibility for it.
“Please heed this warning and save yourself of the jail experience,” he added.
