NDLEA Nabs Indian Businessman, 3 Others, Seizes Tramadol Worth N3.9bn at Lagos Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, along with three Nigerian accomplices — Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode, and Bakare Korede Muheeb — over the interception of 2,248,000 pills of tramadol (200mg/225mg) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

The shipment, valued at ₦3.99 billion, was imported from Delhi, India, and concealed as multi-vitamins in 114 cartons. It arrived aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight on Monday, September 8, 2025. NDLEA officers, who had been monitoring the consignment, swooped in on Thursday, September 11, arresting a clearing agent and two drivers attempting to move the consignment out of the airport in two trucks. A follow-up operation on Friday led to the arrest of Kumar as he tried to take delivery.

In another operation at MMIA Terminal 2 on Sunday, September 7, NDLEA operatives intercepted a passenger, Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi, traveling to Doha on a Qatar Airline flight. A search of his luggage uncovered 900 grams of skunk concealed in crayfish. Onyeganochi, a first-time traveler, confessed the bag had been given to him by a Qatar-based Nigerian, Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna, who was later arrested. A search of Uchenna’s hotel room in Ajao Estate revealed an additional 200 grams of the drug.

At Tincan Port, Lagos, a joint examination on Tuesday, September 9, uncovered 161 parcels of Canadian Loud (81.7kg) and 1.2kg of hashish oil hidden inside a 40ft container of used vehicles and spare parts from Montreal, Canada. Two suspects, John Ochigbo (53) and Okeke Kingsley (26), were arrested. Another 65kg shipment of Canadian Loud was later tracked and intercepted on the Third Mainland Bridge, leading to the arrest of Abubakar Ibrahim (42).

Two separate shipments of narcotics were also seized at courier companies in Lagos — six grams of methamphetamine concealed in a picture frame destined for Gabon, and 1.1kg of Loud hidden in video players bound for the UAE.

In Ikorodu, NDLEA operatives raided a factory producing skuchies — a cocktail of cannabis and blackcurrant drink. They recovered 6,029 bottles and 4,232kg of cannabis from the Caritas, Ibeshe facility. The factory manager, Joy Awosika, was arrested, alongside another suspect, Akeem Oriola, caught in Mushin with 26kg of skunk.

In Abuja, NDLEA operatives apprehended a dispatch rider, Godsplan Vincent (29), with 50.7 grams of cocaine and 66 grams of Loud. In Oyo town, three female suspects — Faidat Azeez (25), Alanu Fatimoh (40), and Mojeed Taiwo (25) — were arrested with 17kg of skunk.

Further operations across the country included:

Kano: Musa Shuaibu (38) caught with 100,000 tramadol pills; Abubakar Adamu (35) with 96 litres of Akuskura; Basiru Umar (18) with 34.1kg of skunk, 493 tubes of rubber solution, and 25 litres of “suck and die.”

Anambra: A couple, Nzube (41) and Ebele Onyedika (42), arrested with 13.9kg of meth and 5.3kg of skunk; another suspect, Nnamchi Tochukwu (36), caught with assorted drugs including meth, tramadol, swinol, heroin, and skunk.

Yobe: Mohammed Auwal arrested with 22.1kg cannabis blocks.

Ogun: Three traffickers — Kunyadi Kunle Ogbungbun (24), Olalekan Adewale (20), and Sanya Joshua (22) — nabbed with 394kg of skunk during a joint operation.

Edo: NDLEA destroyed 16,966.633kg of skunk on a 6.7-hectare cannabis plantation and seized an additional 1,176kg of processed cannabis, arresting four suspects.

Meanwhile, NDLEA commands nationwide continued War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns at schools, motor parks, mosques, and community centres, including outreach to Enugu, Oyo, Katsina, Niger, and Ogun states.

Commending the officers, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged operatives across the country to sustain the balanced approach in the Agency’s drug control strategy.