• Brothers caught with cocaine at Lagos airport
Felix Temitope, Abuja
DAILY COURIER – In a sweeping nationwide crackdown, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted large quantities of illicit drugs and arrested several suspects, including two brothers caught with 5 kilograms of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Brothers Nabbed with Cocaine
John Abugu, 43, and Kenneth Abugu, 31, were arrested on Thursday, April 3, 2025, as they attempted to board a flight to India. Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives discovered the cocaine concealed within the walls of their suitcases. The brothers claimed they were travelling for medical reasons.
UK-Based Student Intercepted with ‘Loud’
That same day, NDLEA’s MMIA Strategic Command intercepted a Ghanaian-British man, Parker Darren Hazekia Osei, 20, who was in possession of 36 parcels of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighing 19.4 kilograms. Osei, a student of Computer Science at East London University, was arriving on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand. He confessed to picking up the drugs in Bangkok for delivery in Nigeria.
More Arrests Across the States
In Kogi State, 33-year-old Ngozi Ogili was arrested with 3 kilograms of methamphetamine on March 31 while travelling in a commercial vehicle from Lagos to Abuja. A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the seizure of Loud and Colorado, both synthetic cannabis variants.
In Abia State, operatives arrested a 75-year-old man, Nna Nnanna Felix, with 1.6kg of skunk, and another suspect, David Chinemerem, 21, was caught with 2,050 ampoules of pentazocine at his residence in Aba.
In Yobe State, NDLEA officials confiscated 381 bottles of codeine syrup and 108 tablets of tramadol from one Abdullahi Adamu on the Potiskum–Damaturu road on April 5.
Large Tramadol Seizure in Anambra
A raid in Anambra State led to the seizure of 195,000 tramadol pills from a house in Oba, Idemili LGA, and the arrest of Obinna Sunday. At the Onitsha motor park, Ugochukwu Ojalanonye was caught with 4.2kg of codeine syrup and 5.4kg of pentazocine.
Cannabis Plantations Destroyed in Cross River
In Cross River State, two women—Faith Effiong Etim, 64, and Victoria Asuquo Etim, 40—were arrested during a raid in Esuk-Odot community, Odukpani LGA. Over 250,000kg of cannabis cultivated on more than 100 hectares of farmland were destroyed by NDLEA officers with the support of Nigerian Army personnel.
Abuja Raids Yield Results
In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA agents arrested 51-year-old Sunday Ayogu at Wuse Market with 25kg of skunk and 90.4g of methamphetamine.
Drug Abuse Prevention Campaigns Continue
Meanwhile, under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, the agency conducted public awareness sessions in Anambra, Katsina, and Adamawa states. These included lectures at Cave City Secondary School, Ogidi; community sensitisation in Dan’iyau village, Batagarawa; and engagement with medicine dealers in Yola.
NDLEA Boss Commends Operatives
Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), applauded the efforts of officers in Lagos, Yobe, Kogi, Abia, Anambra, Cross River, and the FCT. He highlighted the agency’s balanced approach to both drug supply suppression and demand reduction as key to its growing success.
“These arrests and seizures demonstrate our unwavering commitment to tackling the drug menace in Nigeria from all angles,” Marwa stated.
