NDLEA intercepts 27,510 pills of Rohypnol in alcohol sachet shipment to South Africa

Stanley Ihedigbo

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a massive shipment of 27,510 Rohypnol pills concealed in sachets of alcoholic drinks at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

The consignment, bound for South Africa, was seized at the export shed.

According to the Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, after the initial arrest of a freight agent and a cab driver linked to the shipment, a follow-up operation at Oyingbo market in Lagos led to the arrest of the mastermind, 46-year-old Samuel Omoruyi (alias Yellow), on 2nd October.

Same day, an Italy-based businessman, Enehizena Augustine Uyimwen, was arrested by operatives while attempting to export 3,700 pills of tramadol 225mg and 2,600 tabs of tapentadol 200mg hidden in food items to the European country.

He claimed he was trafficking the opioids for someone else for a fee of Nine Hundred and Forty-Five Euros (€945).
In Edo state, a raid on the home of a suspect, Emmanuel Sunday, 33, at Ugbekpe Ekperi in Etsako Central LGA, led to the recovery of 47kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis.

Two suspects: Nureni Ayobami Eleweodo, 48, and Oladejo Taiwo, 52, were arrested on Wednesday, 8th October arrested at Omifufun village, Ife South LGA, Osun state, following the seizure of 635 kilograms of skunk from their Toyota Hiace bus marked DDA65ZY.

Two other suspects, Timothy Omiwole, 41, and Isaac Achiatan, 36, were nabbed at the same location with 100kg of skunk recovered from them along with their motorcycle.

Also a businessman, Ejiofor Godwin Emeka, 52 was arrested at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, following which a total of 127 wraps of cocaine concealed in his private part and stomach have been recovered after days under excretion observation.

Ejiofor, who operates boutiques in Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra state, was taken into NDLEA custody upon his arrival from Bangkok, Thailand, via Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941 on Wednesday, 8th October 2025, following credible intelligence.

He was taken for a body scan, which confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs and had some concealed in his private part.

A total of 58 wraps of cocaine were immediately recovered from his pants, after which he was taken for excretion observation during which he egested 69 pellets of cocaine in seven excretions, bringing the total number of wraps of the class A drug recovered from him to 127, weighing 1.388 kilograms.

Three consignments of illicit drugs heading to the United Kingdom were intercepted on Thursday, 9th, and Friday, 10th October intercepted at a courier company in Lagos by NDLEA operatives. One of the shipments, 1.74 kg of methamphetamine, was recovered from blocks of glass ceramics, while another shipment contains 114 grams and 168 grams of pentazocine and tramadol injections, respectively, just as the third consignment contains 48 grams of tramadol capsules concealed in a Vitamin C container, all going to the UK.

Bids by another set of criminal syndicates to ship 2.6kg skunk and 422grams tapentadol 250mg concealed in tablets of black soap heading to Turkey; 169 grams of cocaine hidden in lady’s handbags going to Australia and 568 grams of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis concealed in containers of herbs going to United Arab Emirates were thwarted by NDLEA operatives at some courier companies in Lagos.

While Okoro Julius, 20, and Onyebuchi Nwibo, 25, were arrested in different parts of Port Harcourt, Rivers state, in connection with the seizure of 8.5kg skunk on Friday, 10th October,
Sulaiman Kalalu, 46, was nabbed after 29.5kg of the same substance was found in his house at Bayan Asiti, Jibia town, Katsina state, on Saturday, 11th October.

In Niger state, NDLEA officers on Wednesday, 8th October, arrested Yisa Daniel, 29, at New Bussa, where 22,000 capsules of tramadol, 800 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 150,000 pills of Exol-5 were seized from him. A total of 312kg of skunk was recovered from a bush at Ologede camp, Ogbese, Ondo state, while operatives on patrol along Benin-Lagos expressway on Thursday, 9th October, intercepted two suspects: Francis John, 39, and Adeyemi Taiwo, 46, in a car conveying 141.8kg of skunk. In Kaduna, a suspect, Rufai Ahmed, 27 (alias Farin Malam), was nabbed at Abuja/Kaduna toll gate while conveying 150,000 pills of exol-5 from Lagos to Katsina.

In like manner, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities, among others, in the past week.

These include: WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of General Murtala Mohammed College, Yola, Adamawa; Assembly of God Secondary School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Community Girls Secondary School, Bakori, Katsina; Girls Secondary School, Nenwe, Awgu LGA, Enugu; Day Secondary School, Tungan Mallam, Paikoro LGA, Niger; Sacred Heart Secondary School, Kabba, Kogi; Ebenezer Model Secondary School, Onitsha, Anambra; Government Secondary School, Borikiri, Rivers.

Government Junior Secondary School, Wakili Bawa, Ungoggo LGA, Kano; and Baptist High School, Ede, Osun State, among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, MAKIA, DOGI, Kano, Edo, Rivers, Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Ondo, and Osun Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) urged them and their compatriots across the country to maintain their tenacity, professionalism and balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.