Authorities in Kwara State, Nigeria, have made a shocking discovery, arresting a group of women, accused of producing and selling cupcakes laced with cannabis substances to unsuspecting students. The operation, which was busted by local law enforcement, has raised concerns about the vulnerability of young people to substance abuse and the creative methods being used to target them.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two individuals, Khadijat Abdulraheem, a 24-year-old recent graduate, and Ayomide Morakinyo, a 20-year-old University of Ilorin student, for allegedly manufacturing and distributing drug-infused cupcakes to students.

The suspects were arrested on Sunday, December 29, 2024, by NDLEA operatives at Tanke-University of Ilorin Road, Oke Odo, Ilorin, Kwara State.

According to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, in a statement on Sunday, said when their apartment was searched, 42 pieces of drug-infused cakes were recovered.

Babafemi also said,

“An ex-convict, Sodade Sunday Eniola, who was arrested by operatives of the Tincan Command of NDLEA in June 2024 for drug trafficking, prosecuted and sentenced to four years in prison, has been arrested again by officers of the MMIA Strategic Command of the Agency for passport racketeering. When he was convicted by a Federal High Court in Lagos on 14th June 2024, the trial judge gave him an option of paying a N750,000 fine, which he paid and was let go.

“However, in a series of operations in December 2024, NDLEA operatives at the export shed of the Lagos airport intercepted no fewer than 52 passports of different countries from shipments going to Canada, Russia, and other countries concealed in shoe soles and food items. Further investigations led to the arrest of four members of three syndicates involved in the racket.

“The arrested suspects include Sodade Sunday Eniola, Ayinde Saheed Awwal, Salaudeen Afeez Ayode, and Sheriff Adebayo Bamigbade. Both the exhibits and the suspects were, on Monday, 30th, December 2024, handed over to the Zonal Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service in Lagos for further investigation and possible prosecution.

“Not less than 316 800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were recovered from two containers by NDLEA officers at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne Rivers state, during a joint examination of the shipments with men of Nigeria Customs and other security agencies on Tuesday 31st December 2024. The seizure followed credible intelligence processed by the Port Harcourt Port Command of the Agency.

“In Kano, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 31st December 2024 raided Mafarki, Dan Dishe area of Dala LG where they recovered 149, 090 pills of tramadol and exol-5 from a local dealer, 45-year-old Ismail Muhammad.”