Scandal Rocks NDLEA Over Alleged N1m Extortion After Fake Search On Ghana-Bound Truck In Lagos

The company said a truck conveying customers’ goods from Nigeria to Ghana was intercepted on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at Alakija area, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

According to the company, after the interception, the truck was not searched on the spot but was driven by NDLEA operatives to their office at 2nd Rainbow, close to Mile 2, Lagos.

It was at the 2nd Rainbow office that the officers allegedly made frivolous allegations that the truck was carrying illicit drugs and proceeded to conduct a thorough search.

The incident was witnessed by members of the National Compliance Joint Task Force of Licensed Agents, who were invited by the truck owner to monitor the exercise.

Barrister Barnabas C. Okoro, National Legal Adviser of the Task Force, said the team recognized the NDLEA’s statutory powers and did not obstruct the search.

He said NDLEA operatives at 2nd Rainbow searched the Ghana-bound truck for several hours but found no illicit substance.

Okoro faulted the manual method of inspection, alleging that the officers engaged about 30 to 40 labourers to offload and manually examine the goods instead of using scanning technology.

He alleged that customers’ goods, which were being exported from Nigeria to Ghana, were handled roughly and later left exposed when heavy rainfall started during the operation at the NDLEA office premises. As at the time the rain started, about 50 to 70 per cent of the consignment had been checked without any incriminating discovery.

It was alleged that despite the search yielding no drugs, officers at the 2nd Rainbow office demanded N1 million before the goods would be reloaded and released to continue its journey to Ghana.

P.M.EXPRESS could not independently verify who allegedly demanded or received the money, whether any official receipt was issued, or the circumstances of the transaction.

The management of African Eagle Transport claimed the alleged frivolous drug allegation was a tactic to extort and frustrate the company.

The company said the Alakija interception and detention at 2nd Rainbow was not an isolated incident but part of a pattern of repeated interceptions targeting its trucks and other shipping and cargo transportation businesses in Lagos.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that transporters operating from Alakija, Trade Fair, Alaba and Seme Border corridor have complained that alleged extortion and repeated interceptions by some enforcement teams are frustrating legitimate businesses conveying goods from Nigeria to Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic.

Operators say trucks are often intercepted at Alakija, driven to 2nd Rainbow, delayed for hours, and released only after unofficial payments, even when no drugs are found.

The National Compliance Joint Task Force said it has received multiple complaints from operators in Apapa, Trade Fair Complex and Seme axis over what they described as arbitrary interceptions that end with monetary demands.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency was established by Decree No. 48 of 1989, now an Act of the National Assembly, with the mandate to eliminate the growing, processing, manufacturing, selling, exporting and trafficking of hard drugs.

Under the Act, the NDLEA is empowered to enforce laws against illicit cultivation, trafficking and abuse of narcotics, investigate and search persons, vehicles and premises suspected of carrying illicit drugs, seize suspected substances, and arrest and prosecute offenders.

The Act provides that all searches and seizures must be carried out in accordance with due process and with respect for the rights of citizens and legitimate businesses.

Legal experts say the law gives NDLEA wide powers to intercept and search based on intelligence, but does not empower officers to demand unofficial payments, make frivolous allegations or damage legitimate consignments.

Okoro said the Task Force would not protect any truck owner found violating the law but would investigate complaints of arbitrary action and extortion.

Those present during the intervention at 2nd Rainbow included Lawal Alaba, National President; Chief Emeka Dennis, Founder and BOT member; Barrister Barnabas C. Okoro, National Legal Adviser; Hashim Adaba, Zonal Secretary, Seme Chapter; and A.O. Vincent, Head of Administration and Operations.

As at press time, efforts to get the reaction of the NDLEA Lagos State Command on the intelligence that led to the Alakija interception, why the Ghana-bound truck was driven to 2nd Rainbow office, the outcome of the search, and the alleged N1m payment were unsuccessful.

African Eagle Transport is seeking an end to what it described as repeated interceptions, which it says disrupt business operations and expose customers’ goods to damage and losses on the Nigeria-Ghana route.

Editor’s Note: The allegations of frivolous drug claims and N1m extortion at 2nd Rainbow remain claims by the company that are yet to be independently verified. P.M.EXPRESS has contacted NDLEA for its response.