NDLEA Bursts Major Drug Rings Across Nigeria: Iran-bound Woman, British Ex-Convict, and Multiple Traffickers Nabbed

In a dramatic and chilling drug interception, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Port Harcourt International Airport have apprehended a female suspect attempting to smuggle over 2.5kg of cocaine to Iran. The woman, identified as Ihensekhien Miracle Obehi, was arrested on Sunday, May 3, 2025, while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight to Iran via Doha. Disguised in a hijab to avoid suspicion, Obehi was intercepted following actionable intelligence received by NDLEA officers.

During a thorough search, officers discovered that Obehi had concealed three wraps of cocaine in her private part, while also hiding two large parcels in false compartments of her handbag. More alarmingly, she had swallowed 67 pellets of the illicit substance. Upon being placed under observation, she excreted all 67 pellets over a period of four days. Obehi later confessed that she was supposed to ingest 70 pellets but could not finish, leading her to insert the remaining three internally. The total weight of the smuggled drugs was calculated at 2.523 kilograms.

British Ex-Convict Nabbed with 37.6kg of Cannabis at Lagos Airport

In a related operation, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, intercepted a 22-year-old British national, Campell Kaizra Kofi Johannes Slifer, on Friday, May 9, 2025. Slifer, a known ex-convict with previous charges of drug trafficking and robbery in the United Kingdom, arrived aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha. He was found in possession of two suitcases packed with 35 parcels of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 37.6 kilograms.

Slifer admitted during interrogation that he had been recruited in London to travel to Thailand, pick up the illicit drugs, and deliver them to Nigeria. His arrest signals increasing international dimensions in Nigeria’s drug trafficking problems and highlights the sophisticated networks being used by cartels to transport narcotics across continents.

Massive Skunk Haul in Niger and Codeine Raid in Kano

In Niger State, NDLEA agents acting on intelligence on Wednesday, May 7, intercepted a fuel tanker and three vehicles transporting a staggering 3,047kg of skunk, a potent variety of cannabis. The operation took place along the Suleja-Kaduna highway. The intercepted vehicles included a fuel truck with registration number ABJ 693 XU, a Honda Odyssey (YAB 667 CZ), a Gulf bus (GWA 125 TQ), and another Honda Odyssey (ABJ 230 CN). Four suspects were arrested: Christopher Onyema (47), Benedict Etineruba Young (54), Chukwudi Ujue Jerry (30), and Mohammed Abdullahi Danasabe.

Similarly, a major pharmaceutical raid in Kano uncovered a stash of 31 kegs containing 775 litres of codeine syrup. NDLEA officers stormed a hideout in Rijiyar Zaki on Saturday, May 10, and arrested two suspects, Hafizu Isa Uman (34) and Ismail Shehu (48). Codeine, a prescription cough syrup often abused as a narcotic, has been at the center of addiction crises in Northern Nigeria, making this seizure a significant success in the war against drug abuse.

Additional Seizures Across Kaduna, Bauchi, Kwara, and Lagos

Beyond the major busts, NDLEA agents made several other significant arrests and seizures in different states. In Kaduna State, 52.5kg of skunk was recovered from two suspects, Lukman Sabo Umar (23) and Tukur Ammadu (20), in a commercial bus in Gwantu, Sanga LGA, on May 6. In Kwara State, 45,400 pills of tramadol (225mg) were intercepted on Bode Saadu-Jebba expressway from one Rufai Nasiru.

In Bauchi, a Toyota Tundra marked RBC 111 DW loaded with 526 blocks of skunk (505kg) was seized by NDLEA operatives along the Bauchi-Gombe road, leading to the arrest of Isaac Onogure (37) and Ikechukwu Peter (44). Meanwhile, a consignment of “Loud” hidden in a pillow from Thailand was intercepted by a courier service in Lagos on May 6. Two other suspects, Eze Chekube Emmanuel and Ike Samuel Chinyerem, were arrested in Ijora with 109,914 pills of various controlled substances including tramadol, swinol, and nitrazepam.

NDLEA Sustains War Against Drug Abuse Through WADA Campaigns

As part of its holistic approach to combating drug abuse, NDLEA has also intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns across the country. Awareness lectures were delivered at schools and religious institutions including Federal Government College, Sokoto; Deeper Life International College, Anambra; Martins Sanda Girls Science College, Niger; and Restoration Power International School, Akwa Ibom.

In Oyo State, NDLEA officials engaged Muslim clerics at Iseyin Central Mosque to educate the public on the dangers of drug abuse. The Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers across the MMIA, PHIA, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Kwara, and Niger commands for their recent successes. He emphasized the importance of striking a balance between curbing drug supply and reducing demand through sustained public enlightenment and enforcement