Lagos, March 22, 2025 – The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced on Sunday that it has intercepted a major drug haul at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, with the arrest of 42-year-old Indian national, Ms. Neetu Neetu, for attempting to smuggle 72 parcels of heroin packaged as chocolates.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the drug consignment, which weighed a total of 11 kilograms, was found in Neetu's luggage after a thorough search following credible intelligence. The heroin was concealed in wafer wraps, resembling chocolates, and was discovered during an inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1431 from Bangkok, Thailand, via Vietnam and Doha, on March 14th, 2025.
Babafemi stressed that this arrest highlighted a growing trend by drug trafficking organizations to employ foreign nationals, particularly white women, to move illicit drugs across Nigerian borders. He commended the vigilance of NDLEA operatives, who, with the help of modern technological tools and proactive intelligence, have consistently thwarted such attempts. This effort aligns with the directive of NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd).
In another significant operation, on March 20th, 2025, NDLEA officers arrested 45-year-old Michael Ogundele in Kano, who was carrying a 50-litre steel gas cylinder on the Zaria-Kano road. Upon cutting the cylinder with welding tools, officers found 50,000 tramadol 225mg pills hidden inside.
Additionally, on March 19th, Sunday Ogar, 40, was apprehended with 27kg of skunk (a strain of cannabis) in Kano, while Khadijah Abdullahi, 40, was arrested on March 18th with 424 bottles of codeine-based syrup in the Lungun Bulala Yalwa area of the state.
In Lagos, two suspects, Olumuyiwa Kolawole and Samod Adisa, were caught on March 18th with 67.5kg of skunk in Mushin. Meanwhile, 100.8kg of the same substance was recovered from two fleeing suspects in the Anifowoshe area. Isah Idris was arrested with 4.5kg of skunk, 600 grams of tramadol, and 30 liters of codeine syrup in Apapa on the same day. Yahaya Mohamed was also arrested with various quantities of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine in Ikotun.
The NDLEA's War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative has continued to expand, with several sensitization lectures held in schools, markets, and worship centers across Nigeria in the past week. These included engagements at Chrisland School, Ikeja, Lagos, Hakimi Secondary School, Mokwa, Niger state, and Government Day Secondary Schools in Sokoto and Adamawa states.
Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended NDLEA operatives for their successful operations and seizures, praising their balanced efforts in drug supply reduction and demand prevention across the country. He urged the officers to maintain their vigilance and not relent in their fight against drug abuse and trafficking.
The NDLEA's ongoing commitment to tackling Nigeria's drug-related challenges underscores its critical role in safeguarding national security and public health.
