The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted two drug kingpins attempting to smuggle heroin into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, and the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Rivers State.
One of the suspects, 30-year-old Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus, was caught at Port Harcourt airport on February 2, 2025, while arriving from Doha via Abuja on a Qatar Airways flight. Sylvanus, who holds dual identities—a Nigerian passport under his real name and a Sierra Leonean passport under the alias Kargbo Mohamed Foday—was found to have ingested illicit drugs after a body scan. Under NDLEA observation, he excreted 62 wraps of heroin in five separate expulsions, with a total weight of 1.348 kilograms.
Investigations revealed that Sylvanus frequently alternated between his two identities for drug trafficking operations spanning Thailand, Pakistan, Iran, and West Africa. He admitted to venturing fully into the illicit trade in 2017 after his clothing and shoe business collapsed.
The second suspect, 48-year-old James Herbert Chinoso, was arrested at Lagos airport on February 1, 2025, upon arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. A body scan confirmed the presence of drugs in his system, and under observation, he excreted 63 wraps of heroin weighing 909 grams. Chinoso disclosed that he turned to drug trafficking after his phone accessories business in Liberia failed.
Additional drug seizures
Beyond these arrests, NDLEA operatives intercepted multiple drug consignments in separate operations:
- Lagos: Two parcels of Loud (a potent synthetic cannabis strain) weighing 2.82 kilograms, imported from the United States, were seized at a courier firm. In another operation, 80 ampoules of pentazocine injection (225 grams) concealed in cartons and headed for Canada were confiscated.
- Kano: On February 3, NDLEA officers arrested Usaini Salisu and Yahaya Mu’azu, both 23, at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria Road with 15,396 tramadol pills concealed in a gas cylinder. Later that day, 35-year-old Chioma Okeke was nabbed with 27 blocks of skunk (a high-THC cannabis strain) weighing 15kg in Sabon Gari, Kano.
- Kogi: On February 8, operatives intercepted 12,800 tramadol 250mg pills en route to Jigawa State, arresting 33-year-old Salisu Basiru along the Kabba-Obajana highway. Additionally, 65 parcels of Colorado (another synthetic cannabis strain) weighing 1.6kg were seized from Rufai Hassan, 32, at the same checkpoint.
War against drug abuse (WADA) sensitization
In line with its broader efforts, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign across Nigeria, engaging students, religious centers, workplaces, and communities. Recent sensitization activities were held at:
- Saint Secondary School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi
- Taangayar Malam Abubakar Bichi, an Almajiri school in Bichi, Kano
- Federal Government Girls College, Calabar, Cross River
- College of Nursing and Science, Birnin Kebbi
- Meiran Community Junior Secondary School, Abule Egba, Lagos
Commendation and commitment
The NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the agency’s officers at MMIA, PHIA, DOGI, Kano, and Kogi Commands for their vigilance and operational successes. He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to a balanced approach—reducing both drug supply and demand—to protect Nigerian communities from the dangers of illicit drugs.
