The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully intercepted multiple drug consignments in a series of operations across Nigeria.
Two brothers, John Abugu, 43, and Kenneth Abugu, 31, were arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos on April 3, 2025, while attempting to board a flight to India. The brothers claimed they were traveling for medical treatment, but after a thorough search of their suitcases, NDLEA officers discovered five kilograms of cocaine hidden in the walls of their bags.
On the same day, another significant arrest was made at MMIA, where 20-year-old Ghanaian-British student Parker Darren Hazekia Osei was caught attempting to smuggle 19.4 kg of “Loud” cannabis, a potent strain of marijuana. The student, who claimed to be studying Computer Science in the UK, was caught after his arrival from Bangkok, Thailand, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
In Kogi State, a 33-year-old woman named Ngozi Ogili was arrested on March 31, 2025, while transporting three kilograms of methamphetamine from Lagos to Abuja. A follow-up operation led to the seizure of additional drugs, including Loud and Colorado, synthetic strains of cannabis, in Abuja.
The NDLEA also made multiple arrests in Abia State, where 75-year-old Nna Nnanna Felix was caught with 1.6 kg of skunk, a cannabis strain, on April 5. Additionally, David Chinemerem, 21, was apprehended with 2,050 ampoules of pentazocine on April 1.
In a separate operation in Yobe State on April 5, NDLEA operatives seized 381 bottles of codeine syrup and 108 tablets of tramadol from a suspect, Abdullahi Adamu, on the Potiskum-Damaturu road. Similarly, raids in Osogbo, Onitsha, and Oba in Anambra State led to the seizure of 195,000 pills of tramadol, and the arrest of Ugochukwu Ojalanonye, who was found with 4.2 kg of codeine syrup and 5.4 kg of pentazocine.
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sunday Ayogu, 51, was arrested on April 3 with 25 kg of skunk and 90.4 grams of methamphetamine during a raid at Wuse market in Abuja. Additionally, Faith Effiong Etim, 64, and Victoria Asuquo Etim, 40, were arrested on April 4 when NDLEA operatives, supported by the Nigerian Army, raided cannabis plantations in Esuk-Odot community, Cross River State. Over 250,000 kilograms of cannabis were destroyed across 100 hectares of farmland.
These coordinated efforts highlight the NDLEA’s ongoing commitment to tackling drug trafficking and illegal drug production in Nigeria, with multiple arrests and significant drug seizures disrupting international drug trade routes.
