NDLEA’s N3.9bn tramadol seizure rocks Lagos Int’l Airport

Stanley Ihedigbo

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended four suspects, including an Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, and three Nigerian nationals, Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode and Bakare Korede Muheeb, in connection with the seizure of 2,248,000 pills of tramadol 200mg/225mg intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

According to the Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Femi Babafemi, the tramadol shipment worth N3.9bn in street value was imported from Delhi, India, disguised as multi-vitamins in 114 cartons and arrived at the import shed of the Lagos airport on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Monday, 8th September 2025.

A team of NDLEA officers who had put the consignment under surveillance, however, swooped on a clearing agent and two drivers who were trying to move the shipment out of the airport in two trucks on Thursday, 11th September.

A follow-up operation the following day, Friday, led to the arrest of the Indian businessman Gupta Ravi Kumar, when he was trying to take delivery of the consignment.

At the terminal 2 departure gate of the airport, NDLEA operatives on Sunday, 7th September, intercepted a passenger, Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi, travelling on a Qatar Airlines flight to Doha.

A search of his bag led to the recovery of 900grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis concealed in crayfish. As a first-time traveler, Onyeganochi claimed the bag was given to him to help take to Doha by a Qatar-based Nigerian, Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna, who actually followed him to the airport.

His confession led to the arrest of Uchenna, who was still within view. Operatives who later searched Uchenna’s hotel room in Ajao estate discovered an additional 200grams of the same psychoactive substance.

He claimed he was to return to Doha days later and pick the bag from the unsuspecting Onyeganochi if he had succeeded in escaping security checks.

At the Tincan port in Lagos, a total of 161 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 81.7kg and 1.2kg of hashish oil were recovered from a 40ft container of vehicle spare parts and used vehicles imported from Montreal, Canada, during a joint examination of the shipment on Tuesday, 9th September.

Two suspects: John Ochigbo, 53, and Okeke Kingsley, 26, have been taken into custody in connection with the seizure.
Another shipment of Canadian Loud with a total weight of 65kg was tracked from the port to Third Mainland bridge, where NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle conveying the consignment, recovered it and arrested the driver, Abubakar Ibrahim, 42, on Thursday, 11th September.

Two separate shipments of methamphetamine concealed in a picture frame and Loud, hidden in video players, were seized at two courier companies in Lagos on Monday, 8th and Thursday, 11th September, respectively, by NDLEA operatives. While six grams of meth recovered from the picture frame were meant for delivery in Gabon, 1.1kg Loud in the decoder machines was heading to the United Arab Emirates.

In the Ikorodu area of Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence on Thursday, 11th September, raided a factory producing skuchies, a blend of cannabis and black currant drink. No less than 6,029 bottles of the new psychoactive substance and 4,232kg of cannabis were recovered from the factory located in Caritas, Ibeshe area of Ikorodu, while the factory manager, Joy Awosika, was arrested. Another suspect, Akeem Oriola, was same day in the Mushin area of Lagos with 26kg of skunk.

In Abuja, NDLEA operatives on a stop and search operation at Utako area of the FCT on Thursday, 11th September, arrested a dispatch rider, Godsplan Vincent, 29, while on a mission to distribute 50.7grams of cocaine and 66grams of Loud. Three female suspects: Faidat Azeez, 25; Alanu Fatimoh, 40, and Mojeed Taiwo, 25, were arrested in Lagbondoko and Akitan areas of Oyo town, Oyo State, in connection with the seizure of 17kg of skunk found in their possession.

No fewer than 100,000 pills of tramadol 200mg/225mg were seized from a suspect, Musa Shuaibu, 38, at Gadar Tamburawa, along Zaria – Kano road on Monday, 8th September, while 196 litres of Akuskura, a new psychoactive substance, were recovered from Abubakar Adamu, 35, at Na’ibawa area of Kano by NDLEA operatives who also seized 34.1kg skunk, 493 tubes of rubber solution and 25 litres of ‘suck and die’, an NPS, from Basiru Umar, 18.at Wailari area, Kumbotso LGA, Kano state, on Thursday, 11th September.

In Anambra state, a couple: Nzube Onyedika, 41, and Ebele Onyedika, 42, were arrested during a raid operation at Obosi, where 13.9kg of Methamphetamine and 5.3kg of skunk were recovered from them, while various quantities of meth, tramadol, swinol, heroin and skunk were seized from another suspect, Nnamchi Tochukwu, 36.

In Yobe, a suspect, Mohammed Auwal, was arrested after 36 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 22.1kg were recovered from his residence at Gadan Talakawa area of Potiskum, while three trans-border drug traffickers: Kunyadi Kunle Ogbungbun, 24; Olalekan Adewale, 20; and Sanya Joshua,22, were nabbed with 394kg skunk at Imeko area of Ogun State during a joint operation by NDLEA operatives with the police and local vigilante on Sunday, 7th September.

Three motorcycles used in conveying the illicit consignment were also recovered.
In Edo state, a total of 16,966.633 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on a cannabis plantation measuring 6.786653 hectares at Ugbogyi forest, Ovia South West LGA, while 112 bags of processed cannabis weighing 1,176 kilograms were also recovered at the farm, where four suspects: Ebenezer Ewang, Oshore John, Emmanuel Monday and David Sunday were arrested.

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 drivers at Onitsha South Motors park, Enugu North, Enugu state; Islamic faithful at Otu Central Mosque, Otu, Oyo state; students and staff of Salamah International School, Malumfashi, Katsina; Islamic faithful at Wawa Central Mosque, Wawa town, Niger state, while the Ogun state command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Osile Oke-Ona Egba, Oba Adedapo Adewale Tejuosho, Karounwi III, among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, DOGI, Tincan, Lagos, Oyo, Edo, Kano, FCT, Anambra, Yobe, and Ogun Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.