September 14, (THEWILL) — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a consignment of 2,248,000 pills of tramadol valued at N3.99bn at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
In a statement on Thursday, NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said an Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, was arrested alongside three Nigerians, Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode, and Bakare Korede Muheeb — in connection with the seizure.
The shipment, imported from Delhi, India, and disguised as multivitamins in 114 cartons, arrived aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Monday, September 8.
NDLEA operatives, who had placed the consignment under surveillance, swooped on a clearing agent and two drivers as they attempted to move it out of the airport in two trucks on Thursday, September 11. Kumar was picked up the following day while trying to take delivery of the drugs.
In a separate operation at the airport’s Terminal 2 departure gate on September 7, operatives intercepted a passenger, Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi, with 900 grams of cannabis strain “skunk” concealed in crayfish while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha.
His confession led to the arrest of his accomplice, Qatar-based Nigerian, Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna, at the airport. A search of Uchenna’s hotel room in Ajao Estate uncovered an additional 200 grams of the drug.
At Tincan Port, Lagos, 161 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 81.7kg and 1.2kg of hashish oil were recovered from a 40-foot container of spare parts and used vehicles from Montreal, Canada, on September 9.
Two suspects, John Ochigbo, 53, and Okeke Kingsley, 26, were arrested. Another 65kg shipment of Canadian Loud tracked from the port was intercepted on Third Mainland Bridge in a Toyota Sienna, with the driver, Abubakar Ibrahim, 42, arrested.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives seized shipments of methamphetamine concealed in picture frames destined for Gabon, and cannabis hidden in video players bound for the UAE, at courier companies in Lagos.
In Ikorodu, Lagos, a factory producing “skuchies” — a cocktail of cannabis and blackcurrant, was raided on September 11. Over 6,000 bottles and 4,232kg of cannabis were recovered, and the factory manager, Joy Awosika, arrested.
Another suspect, Akeem Oriola, was picked up in Mushin with 26kg of skunk.
Other arrests were made in Abuja, Kano, Oyo, Anambra, Yobe, Ogun, and Edo states, with seizures ranging from cocaine, tramadol, methamphetamine, and Loud to large cannabis plantations. In Edo, nearly 17 tonnes of skunk were destroyed on a plantation in Ovia South West LGA.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
He also noted that various NDLEA commands nationwide intensified War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across schools, mosques, motor parks, and communities during the week.
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