NDLEA Nabs Two Drug Kingpins Who Excrete 125 Wraps of Heroin at Lagos, Port Harcourt Airports
…Intercepts Colorado, Loud, and Tramadol Concealed in Gas Cylinder, Seizes Canada-Bound Opioids
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has foiled attempts by two notorious drug kingpins to smuggle heroin into Nigeria through the Port Harcourt International Airport and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The operatives also intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs, including Colorado, Loud, and Tramadol, concealed in gas cylinders and other creative packaging in Kano, Kogi, and Lagos.
One of the traffickers, identified as Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus, 30, who also operates under the alias Kargbo Mohamed Foday with a Sierra Leonean passport, was arrested on Sunday, 2nd February 2025, at the Port Harcourt International Airport during inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha, routed through Abuja.
Following a body scan that confirmed drug ingestion, Sylvanus was placed under excretion observation and expelled a total of 62 wraps of heroin in five rounds, with a combined weight of 1.348 kilograms.
Investigations revealed that he alternates his Nigerian and Sierra Leonean identities to facilitate illicit drug trafficking across Thailand, Pakistan, Iran, and West Africa.
He confessed to having fully embraced the drug trade in 2017 after his clothing and footwear business collapsed.
The second trafficker, James Herbert Chinoso, 48, was apprehended at MMIA on Saturday, 1st February, upon arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs, leading to his placement under excretion observation.
Over time, he excreted 63 wraps of heroin, weighing 909 grams. Chinoso, who travelled from Lagos to Madagascar on 26th January and returned after a week, admitted that he turned to drug trafficking after his phone accessories business in Liberia failed.
Beyond these high-profile arrests, NDLEA operatives also carried out successful drug interceptions in various locations across the country.
Lagos: Two parcels containing 2.82 kilograms of Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, imported from the United States and destined for Lagos, were seized at a courier firm on Thursday, 6th February.
On the same day, officers at another logistics company intercepted 80 ampoules of pentazocine injection (225 grams) concealed in cartons and bound for Canada.
Kano: On Monday, 3rd February, NDLEA operatives apprehended two suspects, Usaini Salisu and Yahaya Mu’azu, both aged 23, at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria Road.
They were caught attempting to transport 15,396 pills of Tramadol hidden inside a gas cylinder.
In a separate operation the same day, a female suspect, Chioma Okeke, 35, was arrested in Sabon Gari with 27 blocks of skunk (a strong cannabis strain) weighing 15 kilograms.
Kogi: Officers on patrol along the Kabba-Obajana highway on Saturday, 8th February, intercepted a consignment of 12,800 Tramadol 250mg pills en route to Shuwarin in Jigawa State.
A suspect, Salisu Basiru, 33, was arrested. Additionally, 65 parcels of Colorado, a highly potent synthetic cannabis variant weighing 1.6 kilograms and also headed for Jigawa, were recovered from another suspect, Rufai Hassan, 32, at the same checkpoint.
In line with its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, NDLEA has intensified awareness campaigns in schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities across Nigeria.
Recent sensitisation activities were conducted at:
Saint Secondary School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State
Taangayar Malam Abubakar Bichi Almajiri School, Bichi, Kano
Federal Government Girls’ College, Calabar, Cross River
College of Nursing and Science, Birnin Kebbi
Meiran Community Junior Secondary School, Abule Egba, Lagos
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers for their relentless efforts in both drug supply reduction and demand reduction. He emphasised that the agency remains resolute in its mission to rid Nigeria of illicit drug activities.
The agency reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying crackdowns on traffickers and ensuring that Nigeria does not become a hub for drug smuggling and consumption.
