NDLEA arrests Indian businessman, 3 Nigerians over seizure of 2.2m tramadol pills at Lagos Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded another major breakthrough in its fight against drug trafficking, with the arrest of an Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, and three Nigerian accomplices at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

According to the agency, the suspects – identified as Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode, and Bakare Korede Muheeb – were nabbed in connection with the interception of 2,248,000 pills of Tramadol (200mg/225mg).

Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said: “The Tramadol shipment, worth N3.99 billion in street value, was imported from Delhi, India. It was disguised as multivitamins in 114 cartons and arrived at the import shed of the Lagos airport on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Monday, 8th September 2025.

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A team of NDLEA officers who had placed the consignment under surveillance swooped on a clearing agent and two drivers attempting to move it out of the airport in two trucks on Thursday, 11th September. A follow-up operation the next day led to the arrest of the Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, when he came to take delivery of the consignment.”

At the Terminal 2 departure gate of the airport on Sunday, 7th September, NDLEA operatives also intercepted a passenger, Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi, travelling on a Qatar Airways flight to Doha. A search of his bag uncovered 900 grams of skunk (a potent strain of cannabis) concealed in crayfish.

As a first-time traveller, Onyeganochi claimed the bag had been given to him by a Qatar-based Nigerian, Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna, who followed him to the airport. His confession led to Uchenna’s arrest, and a search of Uchenna’s hotel room in Ajao Estate uncovered an additional 200 grams of the same substance. He admitted he was to return to Doha later to retrieve the bag if Onyeganochi had succeeded in evading security checks.

At the Tincan Port, Lagos, NDLEA officers recovered 161 parcels of Canadian Loud (81.7kg) and 1.2kg of hashish oil concealed in a 40ft container of vehicle spare parts and used cars imported from Montreal, Canada. The seizure, made during a joint examination on Tuesday, 9th September, led to the arrest of John Ochigbo (53) and Okeke Kingsley (26).

Another shipment of 65kg of Canadian Loud was tracked from the port to the Third Mainland Bridge, where NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Sienna conveying the consignment and arrested the driver, Abubakar Ibrahim (42), on Thursday, 11th September.

Two separate shipments of drugs concealed in courier parcels were also seized in Lagos: 6 grams of methamphetamine hidden in a picture frame, destined for Gabon and 1.1kg of Loud concealed in video players, bound for the UAE.

In Ikorodu, Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided a factory producing “skuchies,” a blend of cannabis and blackcurrant drink, on Thursday, 11th September. They recovered 6,029 bottles of the drink and 4,232kg of cannabis, arresting the factory manager, Joy Awosika. Another suspect, Akeem Oriola, was arrested the same day in Mushin with 26kg of skunk.

In Abuja, a stop-and-search operation in Utako led to the arrest of dispatch rider Godsplan Vincent (29) with 50.7 grams of cocaine and 66 grams of Loud.

In Oyo State, three women — Faidat Azeez (25), Alanu Fatimoh (40), and Mojeed Taiwo (25) — were arrested with 17kg of skunk in Lagbondoko and Akitan areas of Oyo Town.

In Kano, NDLEA officers seized 100,000 pills of Tramadol 200mg/225mg from Musa Shuaibu (38) at Gadar Tamburawa along the Zaria–Kano road on Monday, 8th September. In separate operations, they recovered 196 litres of Akuskura from Abubakar Adamu (35) in Na’ibawa; and 34.1kg of skunk, 493 tubes of rubber solution, and 25 litres of “suck and die” from Basiru Umar (18) in Kumbotso LGA.

In Anambra, a couple — Nzube Onyedika (41) and Ebele Onyedika (42) — were arrested in Obosi with 13.9kg of methamphetamine and 5.3kg of skunk. Another suspect, Nnamchi Tochukwu (36), was found with quantities of meth, tramadol, swinol, heroin, and skunk.

In Yobe, Mohammed Auwal was arrested after NDLEA recovered 22.1kg of cannabis from his residence in Potiskum.

In Ogun State, NDLEA operatives working with police and local vigilantes arrested three trans-border traffickers — Kunyadi Kunle Ogbungbun (24), Olalekan Adewale (20), and Sanya Joshua (22) — with 394kg of skunk in Imeko on Sunday, 7th September. Three motorcycles used to transport the drugs were seized.

In Edo State, NDLEA destroyed 16,966.6kg of cannabis on a plantation measuring 6.8 hectares at Ugbogyi Forest, Ovia South West LGA. Officers also recovered 1,176kg of processed cannabis from the site and arrested four suspects: Ebenezer Ewang, Oshore John, Emmanuel Monday, and David Sunday.

Across the country, NDLEA commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, motor parks, mosques, and communities.

Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers across the various commands for their efforts and urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.