Operatives of a Special Operations Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two brothers: John Abugu, 43, and Kenneth Abugu, 31, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, with five-kilogram cocaine concealed in walls of their suitcases while attempting to board a flight to India.
A statement signed by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, said the two brothers were arrested at the Lagos Airport on Thursday, April 3, 2025, following proactive processing of credible intelligence. They claimed they were travelling to India for medical treatment, but when their suitcases were thoroughly searched by NDLEA officers, whitish powdery substances later confirmed to be cocaine were discovered on the walls of their bags.
In a similar development, NDLEA officers of the MMIA Strategic Command on same day, Thursday, April 3, intercepted a 20-year-old Ghanaian–British man, Parker Darren Hazekia Osei, with 36 parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 19.40kg packed in a giant travelling bag.
The suspect who claimed he was a student of Computer Science at East London University, UK, was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand, at the E-arrival hall of the Lagos Airport.
In his statement, the techie claimed he lived with his parents in the UK but left London about a week ago for Bangkok, where he picked up the illicit drug consignment to deliver in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Kogi State have arrested a 33-year-old lady, Ngozi Ogili, while moving 3 kilograms of methamphetamine from Lagos to Abuja. She was nabbed in a commercial transport bus along Okene-Lokoja highway on Monday, March 31, 2025. A follow-up operation at her point of delivery in Apo Mechanic area of Abuja led to the seizure of quantities of Loud and Colorado, both synthetic strains of cannabis.
In Abia State, NDLEA officers on Saturday, April 5 arrested a 75-year-old grandpa, Nna Nnanna Felix with 1.6kg skunk, a strain of cannabis during a raid at Umunteke Asa, Ukwa West LGA of the State, while another suspect David Chinemerem, 21, was nabbed with 2,050 ampoules of pentazocine at 7 Nnajiego Lane, Umuode road, Aba on Tuesday 1st April.
“No fewer than 381 bottles of codeine syrup and 108 tablets of tramadol were seized from a suspect, Abdullahi Adamu along Potiskum-Damaturu road, Yobe State by NDLEA operatives on Saturday 5th April, just as raid operations at Osogbo motor park, Onitsha and a house at Oba in Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra state led to the arrest of Obinna Sunday and the seizure of 195,000 pills of tramadol. Also arrested during the raid at the motor park was Ugochukwu Ojalanonye with 4.2kg codeine syrup and 5.4kg pentazocine,” Babafemi added.
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), NDLEA operatives on Thursday, April 3 arrested 51-year-old Sunday Ayogu with 25kg skunk and 90.4g of methamphetamine during a raid operation at Wuse market in Abuja, while two ladies: Faith Effiong Etim, 64, and Victoria Asuquo Etim, 40, were nabbed on Friday, April 4 when NDLEA operatives supported by men of the Nigerian Army raided cannabis plantations in Esuk-Odot community, Odukpani LGA of Cross River State where 250,000 kilograms of the psychoactive plant were destroyed on over 100 hectares of farm land.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Cave City Secondary School, Ogidi, Anambra state; residents of Dan’iyau village, Batagarawa LGA, Katsina; and members of Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers in Sangere and Kwanan Waya, Yola, Adamawa state, among others,” the statement noted.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, Yobe, Abia, Kogi, Anambra, Cross River and FCT Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country, especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts were well appreciated.
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