NDLEA foils drug trafficking attempts at Kano, Lagos airports
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully intercepted several drug smuggling attempts across Nigeria in what it describes as a series of significant operations in the past week.
According to the anti-drug agency, the operations include the largest cocaine seizure in the history of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, since its establishment in 2006.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, operatives at MAKIA apprehended Olisaka Chibuzo Calistus, an import and export businessman, on Sunday, December 15, 2024. Calistus was found with 256 wraps of cocaine weighing six kilograms during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941 from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The discovery marked a historic interception for the airport’s NDLEA Command.
At Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), NDLEA officers foiled another attempt to export drugs. Ex-convict Olanrewaju Bada Akorede was caught attempting to ship rohypnol concealed within a cargo of gari, shoes, and clothing items to South Africa. Akorede, previously convicted for drug trafficking, had paid a fine for his earlier crime before resuming illicit activities.
Elsewhere, Italy-based businesswoman Cynthia Akaeen was arrested on December 18 while trying to board a flight to Italy with 9,190 tramadol tablets hidden in her luggage. Akaeen reportedly intended to deliver the drugs for a fee of €1,000.A major raid on December 17 at a building materials market in Onitsha, Anambra State, uncovered a warehouse containing over 418,000 pills of tramadol and tapentadol, along with 8,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
Another seizure occurred at Lagos’ Tincan Island port on December 18, where a joint security team intercepted 180,000 bottles of codeine syrup in a container from India.
In Maiduguri, Borno State, NDLEA operatives arrested multiple suspects, recovering large quantities of tramadol, cannabis, and a pistol with ammunition. Similar arrests were made in Oyo, Enugu, and Lagos, with notable recoveries including ephedrine, cannabis, and other psychoactive substances.
In addition to arrests, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, holding sensitization lectures in schools, religious centers, and workplaces across states, including Adamawa, Kano, and Kebbi. These efforts aim to reduce demand for drugs through education and community engagement.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the operatives for their dedication. He urged officers to sustain the momentum in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse, emphasizing a balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction.
