The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Sunday, March 22, announced the arrest of two Italy-based Nigerians at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, with over 30,000 opioid pills.
The suspects were intercepted during separate operations at the airport’s departure hall while attempting to board outbound flights to Italy.
According to the agency, one of the suspects, 37-year-old Ehianuka Friday, was apprehended on March 20, while trying to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome.
Ehianuka Friday
A search of his luggage uncovered 2,698 pills of tramadol (225mg) hidden inside containers of skin-lightening cream.
He confessed that he was promised payment in euros upon successful delivery of the consignment.
In a similar operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 38-year-old Christian Agbonhese on March 18, as he attempted to board a Lufthansa Airlines flight to Italy.
A thorough search of his luggage led to the discovery of 23,150 pills of tramadol (225mg), 4,000 tablets of tapentadol (250mg), and 1,320 pills of tramadol (100mg).
The pills were concealed within two large winter jackets, bringing the total number of opioids recovered from him to 28,470 pills.
At a courier firm in Lagos on March 16, NDLEA operatives intercepted two parcels containing 1kg of loud, which had been shipped from the United States.
Officers also foiled an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed within the corrugated walls of a cardboard box bound for New Zealand.
In Kano state, operatives arrested Abdulkadir Mamuda and Uche Johnson Festus with a combined total of 198kg of skunk.
Abdulkadir Mamuda
Uche Johnson Festus
In Kaduna state, Lawal Anas and Musa Shuaibu were apprehended on March 18, with over 593,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 along Kaduna-Zaria highway.
Lawal Anas
A raid on a store in Otto area of Ijora, Lagos state, yielded 21,737 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
Operatives intercepted Chidiebere Anigbogu and Paul Nwagbara on March 18, on the 3rd mainland bridge with an additional 8,380 bottles.
Chidiebere Anigbogu, Paul Nwagbara
In Oyo state, Bankole Bari was apprehended on March 17, with 71.2kg of skunk he had smuggled across the Oyan river from Benin Republic.
In Edo state, 97.5kg of skunk was recovered from the residence of Akeem Idde in Akoko-Edo local government area on March 16.
Along Gwagwalada expressway in Abuja, a commercial bus driver, Aminu Ali, was arrested on March 18 after 91,840 tramadol pills were found in his vehicle’s compartments.
On Tuesday, March 17, NDLEA operatives in Taraba state intercepted 26-year-old Aliyu Adamu along Takum-Jalingo highway.
Aliyu Adamu
At the time of his arrest, Adamu was found conveying 77,660 capsules of tramadol intended for delivery in Gombe.
In a simultaneous operation in Adamawa state that same day, the agency seized 82.8kg of tramadol from a truck in Yola.
This discovery led to a swift follow-up operation that resulted in the arrest of six suspects identified as the joint owners of the illegal consignment.
The group included Ramatu Aliyu, Jungudo Abdullahi, Najid Abdullahi, Musa Mohammed, Usman Abdulrahim, and a second individual also named Musa Mohammed.
NDLEA commands across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitisation lectures at secondary schools.
The NDLEA chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the operatives involved in the arrests and urged sustained vigilance at all airports and border points across the country.
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