NDLEA Arrests India-bound Brothers with 5kg Cocaine at Lagos Airport

Operatives of the Special Operations Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two brothers, John Abugu and Kenneth Abugu, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for attempting to smuggle 5 kilograms of cocaine to India. The brothers were apprehended on April 3, 2025, as they prepared to board a flight, allegedly for medical treatment.

The NDLEA disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the arrest followed the proactive processing of credible intelligence. Upon inspecting their luggage, officers discovered whitish powdery substances ingeniously concealed within the walls of their suitcases. Subsequent tests confirmed the substances to be cocaine. The arrest is the latest in a string of successful interdictions carried out by the agency in its ongoing war against drug trafficking.

British-Ghanaian Tech Student Caught with ‘Loud’ from Thailand

In a related operation at the same airport, NDLEA officers from the Strategic Command intercepted a 20-year-old Ghanaian-British dual citizen, Parker Darren Hazekia Osei, with 36 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis. The illicit drug, weighing 19.4 kilograms, was packed in a giant travelling bag. Osei was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand.

During interrogation, the suspect, who claimed to be a Computer Science student at East London University, stated he left the UK a week earlier to pick up the drug consignment in Bangkok for delivery in Nigeria. The NDLEA has since launched further investigations into the route and possible syndicate behind the trafficking attempt.

Woman Caught Trafficking Meth in Kogi; Raids in Abuja and Abia

Further extending its operations, NDLEA operatives in Kogi State arrested a 33-year-old woman, Ngozi Ogili, on March 31, 2025. She was found transporting 3 kilograms of methamphetamine from Lagos to Abuja via a commercial bus along the Okene-Lokoja highway. A follow-up operation at her delivery point in the Apo Mechanic area of Abuja led to the seizure of additional synthetic cannabis strains — Loud and Colorado.

In Abia State, the Agency arrested a 75-year-old grandfather, Nna Nnanna Felix, during a raid in Umunteke Asa, Ukwa West LGA. He was found in possession of 1.6 kilograms of skunk, another cannabis strain. In a separate operation in Aba, NDLEA officers apprehended David Chinemerem with 2,050 ampoules of pentazocine, a controlled pharmaceutical opioid, indicating the agency’s expanded focus on pharmaceutical drug abuse.

Codeine and Tramadol Seized Across Yobe, Anambra, and Osun States

The NDLEA also reported major pharmaceutical drug seizures in other parts of the country. In Yobe State, Abdullahi Adamu was intercepted on April 5 along the Potiskum-Damaturu road with 381 bottles of codeine syrup and 108 tablets of tramadol. Meanwhile, in coordinated raids across Osogbo, Onitsha, and Oba in Anambra State, NDLEA operatives arrested several suspects including Obinna Sunday, recovering 195,000 pills of tramadol.

At the Osogbo motor park, Ugochukwu Ojalanonye was also apprehended with 4.2 kilograms of codeine syrup and 5.4 kilograms of pentazocine. These operations reflect the agency’s intensifying crackdown on the growing illicit pharmaceutical trade that fuels addiction and poses significant public health risks.

Massive Cannabis Farm Destroyed in Cross River; NDLEA Chairman Commends Officers

In a dramatic operation supported by the Nigerian Army, NDLEA operatives stormed a cannabis plantation in Esuk-Odot community, Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State. The raid, which occurred on April 3, led to the arrest of two women, Faith Effiong Etim and Victoria Asuquo Etim, and the destruction of over 250,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated across more than 100 hectares of farmland.

In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA also arrested 51-year-old Sunday Ayogu with 25 kilograms of skunk and 90.4 grams of methamphetamine at Wuse Market. The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), applauded the officers for their continued dedication. He highlighted the agency’s balanced approach through drug supply suppression and demand reduction as critical to sustaining the fight against substance abuse across Nigeria.

The NDLEA’s latest string of arrests and seizures underscores its unwavering resolve in confronting drug trafficking and abuse, sending a strong message to drug syndicates operating within and beyond Nigeria’s borders.