By Ameh Gabriel
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dealt a major blow to international drug syndicates with the seizure of 2,248,000 tramadol pills valued at ₦3.99 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed on Sunday that operatives arrested an Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, alongside three Nigerians Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode, and Bakare Korede Muheebb linked to the consignment.
The shipment, disguised as multivitamins, arrived from Delhi, India, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on September 8. After surveillance, NDLEA intercepted the consignment on September 11 while a clearing agent and two drivers attempted to move it out of the airport. A follow-up operation led to Kumar’s arrest as he tried to claim the drugs.
In a separate bust at MMIA, operatives nabbed Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi with 900 grams of skunk hidden in crayfish as he prepared to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha. His confession implicated Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna, who was later arrested with an additional 200 grams of skunk found in his hotel room.
Similarly, at Tincan Port, NDLEA officers uncovered 161 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 81.7 kg and 1.2 kg of hashish oil concealed in a container of vehicle parts shipped from Canada. Two suspects, John Ochigbo and Okeke Kingsley, were arrested. Another 65 kg of Loud was intercepted on the Third Mainland Bridge from a Toyota Sienna, leading to the arrest of the driver, Abubakar Ibrahim.
Courier firms in Lagos were not left out as NDLEA agents intercepted six grams of meth concealed in a picture frame bound for Gabon and 1.1 kg of Loud hidden inside video players destined for the UAE.
In Ikorodu, Lagos, a cannabis drink factory producing skuchies was shut down. Officers recovered 6,029 bottles of the drink, 4,232 kg of cannabis, and arrested the factory manager, Joy Awosika, along with an accomplice, Akeem Oriola.
Nationwide Operations
NDLEA’s crackdown extended across the country:
- In Abuja, a dispatch rider, Godsplan Vincent, was arrested with 50.7 g of cocaine and 66 g of Loud.
- In Kano, 100,000 tramadol pills, 196 litres of Akuskura, and 34.1 kg of skunk were seized in separate raids.
- In Anambra, Nzube and Ebele Onyedika were caught with 13.9 kg of methamphetamine and 5.3 kg of skunk.
- In Yobe, operatives intercepted 22.1 kg of cannabis.
- In Ogun, a joint operation with police and vigilantes led to the arrest of three traffickers with 394 kg of skunk.
- In Edo State, NDLEA destroyed 16,966 kg of cannabis on a 6.7-hectare farm in Ovia South West LGA, seized 1,176 kg of processed cannabis, and arrested four suspects.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers for their successes and urged them to sustain enforcement while intensifying community sensitization under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
