India-Bound Brothers Arrested At Lagos Airport With 5kg Cocaine Concealed In Suitcases As NDLEA Intercepts UK Tech Student With Loud, Nabs 75-year-old Grandpa With Skunk

India-Bound Brothers Arrested At Lagos Airport With 5kg Cocaine Concealed In Suitcases As NDLEA Intercepts UK Tech Student With Loud, Nabs 75-year-old Grandpa With Skunk

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 5 kilograms of cocaine concealed in the walls of their suitcases. The suspects were apprehended on Thursday, 3rd April 2025, while attempting to board a flight to India, claiming they were travelling for medical treatment. However, a thorough search of their luggage led to the discovery of whitish powdery substances, which later tested positive for cocaine.

In a similar operation at the MMIA on the same day, NDLEA operatives from the Strategic Command arrested Parker Darren Hazekia Osei, a 20-year-old Ghanaian-British national, with 36 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 19.40kg, concealed in a large travelling bag. The suspect, who claimed to be a Computer Science student at East London University, UK, arrived aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand. He admitted picking up the illicit consignment in Bangkok for delivery in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, in Kogi State, NDLEA officers arrested Ngozi Ogili, 33, with 3 kilograms of methamphetamine en route from Lagos to Abuja. She was nabbed aboard a commercial bus along the Okene-Lokoja highway on Monday, 31st March 2025. A follow-up operation at her delivery point in Apo Mechanic Area of Abuja led to the seizure of additional quantities of Loud and Colorado, both synthetic strains of cannabis.

In Abia State, a 75-year-old grandfather, Nna Nnanna Felix, was arrested on Saturday, 5th April, with 1.6kg of skunk during a raid in Umunteke Asa, Ukwa West LGA. In a separate operation, David Chinemerem, 21, was arrested at 7 Nnajiego Lane, Umuode Road, Aba, on Tuesday, 1st April, with 2,050 ampoules of pentazocine, an injectable opioid.

In Yobe State, NDLEA operatives intercepted Abdullahi Adamu along the Potiskum-Damaturu road on Saturday, 5th April, with 381 bottles of codeine syrup and 108 tablets of tramadol. Elsewhere, in Anambra State, coordinated raid operations at Osogbo motor park, Onitsha, and a residence in Oba, Idemili LGA, led to the arrest of Obinna Sunday and the seizure of 195,000 tramadol pills. Ugochukwu Ojalanonye was also apprehended with 4.2kg of codeine syrup and 5.4kg of pentazocine at the motor park.

In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), NDLEA officers on Thursday, 3rd April, arrested Sunday Ayogu, 51, with 25kg of skunk and 90.4g of methamphetamine during a raid at Wuse Market. Additionally, two women—Faith Effiong Etim, 64, and Victoria Asuquo Etim, 40—were arrested on Friday, 4th April, during a joint raid with the Nigerian Army in Esuk-Odot community, Odukpani LGA, Cross River State. The raid led to the destruction of over 250,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on more than 100 hectares of farmland.

Beyond enforcement, NDLEA commands across the country sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization efforts. In the past week, awareness campaigns were conducted at Cave City Secondary School, Ogidi, Anambra State; Dan’iyau Village in Batagarawa LGA, Katsina State; and to members of the Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers in Sangere and Kwanan Waya, Yola, Adamawa State, among others.

Commending the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, Yobe, Abia, Kogi, Anambra, Cross River, and FCT commands for their exemplary work, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their operational successes. He also lauded their balanced approach to drug supply suppression and demand reduction, which are yielding impactful results across the country.