The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted a major drug haul at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, arresting an Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, and three Nigerian accomplices in connection with the seizure of 2,248,000 tramadol pills valued at ₦3.99 billion.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the operation in a statement on Sunday.
“Our officers had the consignment under surveillance from the moment it landed. On Thursday, 11th September, they moved in on a clearing agent and two drivers attempting to move the drugs in two trucks. By Friday, the mastermind, Mr. Gupta Ravi Kumar, was also arrested while trying to take delivery of the consignment,” Babafemi said.
The consignment, shipped from Delhi, India, was disguised as multi-vitamins in 114 cartons and arrived aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight on Monday, 8th September 2025.
More Arrests at Lagos Airport
At the Terminal 2 Departure Gate of MMIA on Sunday, 7th September, operatives intercepted a passenger, Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi, bound for Doha on a Qatar Airways flight.
A search of his luggage uncovered 900 grams of skunk (a potent strain of cannabis) concealed in crayfish.
Onyeganochi confessed the bag was given to him by Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna, a Qatar-based Nigerian who was still within the airport vicinity.
Uchenna was promptly arrested, and a subsequent raid on his hotel room in Ajao Estate uncovered another 200 grams of the same drug.
“He admitted he planned to return to Doha and collect the bag if Onyeganochi managed to evade security checks,” Babafemi revealed.
Multiple Seizures Across Nigeria
The NDLEA also recorded several other arrests and seizures during the week:
At Tincan Port, Lagos, operatives found 161 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 81.7kg and 1.2kg of hashish oil concealed in a 40ft container of vehicle parts from Canada. Two men, John Ochigbo (53) and Okeke Kingsley (26), were arrested.
Another 65kg of Canadian Loud was later traced to the Third Mainland Bridge, where NDLEA intercepted it in a Toyota Sienna driven by Abubakar Ibrahim (42).
In Ikorodu, Lagos, a raid on a skuchies factory uncovered 6,029 bottles of the cannabis-infused drink and 4,232kg of cannabis. Factory manager Joy Awosika was arrested.
In Abuja, a dispatch rider, Godsplan Vincent (29), was caught with 50.7 grams of cocaine and 66 grams of Loud during a stop-and-search operation.
In Oyo State, three women, Faidat Azeez (25), Alanu Fatimoh (40), and Mojeed Taiwo (25), were arrested with 17kg skunk.
In Kano, Musa Shuaibu (38) was nabbed with 100,000 tramadol pills, while Abubakar Adamu (35) was caught with 196 litres of “Akuskura,” a new psychoactive substance.
In Anambra, a couple, Nzube and Ebele Onyedika, were arrested with 13.9kg methamphetamine and 5.3kg skunk, while another suspect, Nnamchi Tochukwu (36), was caught with meth, tramadol, swinol, heroin and skunk.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed a 16,966kg cannabis farm at Ugbogyi forest, Ovia South West, and seized an additional 1,176kg of processed cannabis, arresting four suspects.
Marwa Commends Officers
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers for their vigilance and urged them to remain relentless.
“These arrests and seizures prove again that our agency will not allow criminal networks to undermine the safety of Nigerians. I commend our officers across all commands involved. The fight against drug abuse must continue with both strong enforcement and community sensitization,” Marwa said.
The agency also noted that its War Against Drug Abuse campaign continued during the week, with sensitization programmes held in schools, mosques, motor parks, and communities across Enugu, Oyo, Katsina, Niger, and Ogun states.
