Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 42-year-old Indian woman, Ms. Neetu Neetu, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, with 72 parcels of heroin concealed in wafer wraps and disguised as chocolates.
The intercepted consignment, weighing 11 kilograms, was discovered in her luggage during a thorough search at the airport’s arrival hall on Friday, 14th March 2025. Neetu had arrived on a Qatar Airways flight (QR1431) from Bangkok, Thailand, via Vietnam and Doha.
In response to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), highlighted the increasing use of foreign nationals in drug trafficking operations and reiterated the agency’s commitment to thwarting such illicit activities through advanced intelligence and technology.
In another operation on Thursday, 20th March, NDLEA officers in Kano apprehended a 45-year-old suspect, Michael Ogundele, at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria-Kano Road. A 50-litre steel gas cylinder in his possession was found to contain 50,000 tramadol pills (225mg), concealed using welding techniques.
Additionally, on Wednesday, 19th March, Sunday Ogar (40) was arrested in the Gunduwawa area of Kano with 27 kilograms of skunk (a potent strain of cannabis), while a female suspect, Khadijah Abdullahi (40), was caught with 424 bottles of codeine syrup in Lungun Bulala Yalwa on Tuesday, 18th March.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Olumuyiwa Kolawole and Samod Adisa with 67.5 kilograms of skunk in Mushin. Another 100.8 kilograms of the same substance were seized from a storage facility belonging to two fleeing suspects in Anifowoshe, Mushin.
Further arrests in Lagos included Isah Idris, who was caught in Apapa on Tuesday, 18th March, with 4.5 kilograms of skunk, 600 grams of tramadol (225mg), and 30 liters of codeine syrup. On the same day, Yahaya Mohamed was arrested in Ikotun with varying quantities of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
Beyond enforcement, NDLEA has intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, carrying out sensitization campaigns in schools, markets, workplaces, and religious centers across the country. Some of the institutions engaged include:
- Chrisland School, Ikeja, Lagos
- Hakimi Secondary School, Mokwa, Niger State
- Marist Comprehensive College, Nteje, Anambra State
- Ikole City College, Ikole-Ekiti, Ekiti State
- Government Day Secondary School, Sunane, Sokoto State
- Government Day Secondary School, Jada, Adamawa State
Commending the agency’s officers in Kano, Lagos, and MAKIA Commands, Brig. Gen. Marwa praised their efforts in both drug supply reduction and public sensitization. He urged them to remain steadfast in tackling drug trafficking across the country.
