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Recovers tramadol consignments in winter jackets at Lagos airport
From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 44-year-old businessman, Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian, at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) for ingesting 53 wraps of cocaine while on his way to Tehran Khomeini, Islamic Republic of Iran.
This arrest comes barely two weeks after operatives intercepted a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, heading to Iran with 65 pellets of cocaine in his stomach at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
A statement by Mr. Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy of the agency, said Ezemokwe was arrested on Saturday, June 7, 2025, while attempting to board Qatar Airways flight QR1434 to Tehran Khomeini via Doha. After a body scan confirmed ingestion of an illicit drug, he was placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 53 wraps of cocaine in six excretions, weighing a total of 1.172kg. The suspect claimed to have been involved in the criminal trade for two years, moving between West African countries and Iran.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on Saturday, June 14, 2025, intercepted an Italy-bound passenger, Edobor Ambrose Ali, on an Air France flight. In collaboration with the Aviation Security of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), officers discovered drug consignments hidden in the suspect’s luggage during baggage scanning at the tarmac. A thorough search revealed 14,410 pills of tramadol (225mg and 200mg) concealed in winter jackets. Edobor, who resides in Italy, stated he was hired for an all-expenses-paid trip to Nigeria to courier the drugs to Milan, Italy, for a fee of 2,000 Euros.
At the Port Harcourt Ports in Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives on Friday, June 13, 2025, intercepted a shipment of 157,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup, worth over N1.1 billion in street value, during a joint examination of a watch-listed container with the Customs Service and other security agencies. The opioid consignments were hidden behind 257 cartons of ceramic sanitary wares.
Additionally, three suspects—Friday Achibong Joseph, 47; Abraham Anthony Willy, 21; and Utibe David Okon, 24—were arrested on Thursday, June 12, 2025, when NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Obereakai, Odukpani LGA, Cross River State, recovering 2,687kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis.
On the same day in Bauchi State, NDLEA officers arrested Iriemi Imonikhe, 49, and Sa’idu Ladan, 30, along the Bauchi-Jos road after discovering 195 blocks of skunk weighing 287kg in their Toyota Camry (AKL 201 GG). Also, 14 jumbo sacks of skunk weighing 560kg were recovered from a wooden boat at Oniru Beach, Lagos, by the NDLEA Marine Command on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Meanwhile, officers at Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, Maiduguri (MBIAM), arrested two businessmen, Ishaku Abdullahi, 30, and Buba Usman, 32, with ecstasy pills and skunk packaged in wraps labelled ‘Lychee’ and ‘Porro Legal.’
The NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy activities continued nationwide, with sensitisation lectures delivered to students and staff at institutions such as Command Secondary School, Orba, Uden LGA, Enugu; Divine Gift International School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Baptist Primary School, Ago-Are, Oyo; and St. Vincent Secondary School, Oti-Oron Okobo, Akwa Ibom State, among others.
Commending the officers of MMIA, PHIA, MBIAM, PHPC, Marine, Cross River, and Bauchi Commands for their efforts, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), praised their balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction initiatives across the country.