The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has carried out a number of successful operations across the country. These operations led to the arrest of several drug traffickers, including both Nigerians and foreigners, as well as the seizure of large quantities of illegal drugs worth billions of naira.
One of the biggest operations took place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. NDLEA officers arrested an Indian businessman named Gupta Ravi Kumar along with three Nigerian partners, Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode, and Bakare Korede Muheeb.
The suspects were linked to a massive shipment of 2,248,000 Tramadol pills (200mg and 225mg strength). The drugs, valued at ₦3.99 billion on the street, had been imported from Delhi, India. The smugglers tried to disguise the pills as multivitamins, packing them in 114 cartons. The consignment arrived on Monday, 8th September 2025, via an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
NDLEA officers had been monitoring the shipment closely. On Thursday, 11th September, they moved in and arrested a clearing agent and two drivers who were trying to remove the drugs from the airport using two trucks. The following day, they tracked down and arrested Gupta Ravi Kumar, who came to claim the shipment.
At the Terminal 2 departure gate of the Lagos airport on Sunday, 7th September, NDLEA also intercepted a passenger named Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi. He was about to travel to Doha on a Qatar Airways flight. When his bag was searched, officers found 900 grams of “skunk” cannabis cleverly hidden inside crayfish.
Onyeganochi, who was a first-time traveler, claimed the bag was given to him by another Nigerian based in Qatar, Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna. NDLEA arrested Uchenna as well and searched his hotel room in Ajao Estate, Lagos, where they discovered another 200 grams of the same drug. Uchenna later admitted he planned to travel back to Doha and retrieve the bag if Onyeganochi managed to sneak it through security.
At the Tincan Port in Lagos, NDLEA officers discovered 161 parcels of Canadian Loud (81.7kg) and 1.2kg of hashish oil hidden inside a 40-foot container carrying vehicle spare parts and used cars imported from Montreal, Canada. The discovery was made on Tuesday, 9th September, during a joint examination with other security agencies. Two suspects, John Ochigbo (53) and Okeke Kingsley (26), were arrested.
Another 65kg shipment of Canadian Loud was tracked from the port to the Third Mainland Bridge. NDLEA officers intercepted a Toyota Sienna carrying the drugs and arrested the driver, Abubakar Ibrahim (42), on Thursday, 11th September.
The agency also intercepted courier parcels containing drugs in Lagos. These included 6 grams of methamphetamine hidden in a picture frame going to Gabon, and 1.1kg of Loud hidden in video players headed for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In Ikorodu, Lagos, NDLEA officers raided a secret factory producing a drink called “skuchies”, which is made by mixing cannabis with blackcurrant. The raid, carried out on Thursday, 11th September, led to the recovery of 6,029 bottles of the drink and 4,232kg of cannabis. The factory manager, Joy Awosika, was arrested.
On the same day in Mushin, Lagos, another suspect, Akeem Oriola, was caught with 26kg of skunk.
Operations in Other States
- Abuja (FCT): A dispatch rider, Godsplan Vincent (29), was arrested at Utako during a stop-and-search operation. He was found with 50.7 grams of cocaine and 66 grams of Loud.
- Oyo State: Three women, Faidat Azeez (25), Alanu Fatimoh (40), and Mojeed Taiwo (25), were arrested in Oyo Town with 17kg of skunk.
- Kano State: Officers arrested Musa Shuaibu (38) with 100,000 Tramadol pills on the Zaria–Kano road on Monday, 8th September. In other Kano raids, they recovered 196 litres of Akuskura from Abubakar Adamu (35) in Na’ibawa, and 34.1kg of skunk, 493 tubes of rubber solution, and 25 litres of “suck and die” from Basiru Umar (18) in Kumbotso LGA.
- Anambra State: A couple, Nzube Onyedika (41) and Ebele Onyedika (42), were arrested in Obosi with 13.9kg of methamphetamine and 5.3kg of skunk. Another suspect, Nnamchi Tochukwu (36), was caught with different drugs, including meth, tramadol, swinol, heroin, and skunk.
- Yobe State: Mohammed Auwal was arrested in Potiskum after NDLEA officers found 22.1kg of cannabis in his house.
- Ogun State: Working with police and vigilantes, NDLEA arrested three young traffickers, Kunyadi Kunle Ogbungbun (24), Olalekan Adewale (20), and Sanya Joshua (22), in Imeko on Sunday, 7th September. They were transporting 394kg of skunk using motorcycles. Three motorcycles were also seized.
- Edo State: NDLEA destroyed a massive cannabis plantation in Ugbogyi Forest, Ovia South West LGA. The farm covered 6.8 hectares and had 16,966.6kg of cannabis ready for harvesting. Officers also seized 1,176kg of processed cannabis and arrested four suspects: Ebenezer Ewang, Oshore John, Emmanuel Monday, and David Sunday.
While fighting traffickers, NDLEA is also running its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign. Officers across the country have been visiting schools, motor parks, mosques, and local communities to educate people about the dangers of drug abuse.
The NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), praised all officers for their hard work and urged them to continue using both strict enforcement and public awareness as part of the fight against drugs.
