Canada-based nurse and two businessmen apprehended for drug trafficking by NDLEA at Lagos airport
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a Canada-based nurse and two businessmen for cocaine and cannabis trafficking at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The arrests are part of a larger crackdown on drug smuggling across Nigeria, with the agency seizing over N7 billion worth of opioids at various seaports.
Among those arrested was 51-year-old businessman Ihejirika Okechukwu Emmanuel, detained on October 15, 2024, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Thailand. A body scan revealed he had ingested five large wraps of cocaine weighing 400 grams. He confessed, “I was to be paid for the successful delivery of the drug in Thailand, and I needed the money to boost my fish importation business.”
Another arrest occurred on October 17, 2024, when 26-year-old businessman Iwuagwu Ikedi Victory arrived from Brazil via Addis Ababa. A scan showed he had ingested 30 wraps of cocaine but had excreted only 29 in Addis Ababa, which he handed over to an associate. He admitted, “I was promised N2.5 million for trafficking the drug.”
A Canadian-based Nigerian nurse, Usman Grace Khadijat Olami, was also arrested on October 4, 2024, upon arriving from Toronto via Paris. NDLEA officials discovered 70 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain weighing 35.7 kg, in her luggage. She explained, “I was asked by my boyfriend to bring this consignment of Loud.”
Meanwhile, at Apapa and Onne seaports, NDLEA operatives intercepted significant drug shipments. On October 15, 2024, they seized 162,351 bottles of codeine-based syrup at Apapa seaport in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service. They also uncovered over 7 million Tapentadol and Carisoprodol pills, worth N3.6 billion, from a container at the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne. Additional seizures included 15.6 million opioid pills and 337,000 bottles of codeine syrup, amounting to a total value of N7.1 billion.
Nationwide, NDLEA continued its aggressive anti-drug efforts. In Bauchi, a suspect was arrested with 76,600 tramadol pills hidden in his vehicle, while in Ondo, three individuals were detained with 672 kg of cannabis. In Edo state, more than 10,590 kg of cannabis was destroyed on a farm, and several suspects were taken into custody.
In Lagos, NDLEA’s methamphetamine operations led to the arrest of Andrew Joseph Anoriode, who had 3 kg of meth and 241 kg of cannabis. A meth lab was also discovered, and precursor chemicals used for methamphetamine production were seized.
The NDLEA’s recent achievements were highlighted by its Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), who noted the seizure of over 61,000 kg of drugs and 41 arrests. The agency’s new Marine Command Headquarters in Lagos, funded by the British government, aims to intensify efforts against drug cartels operating through waterways and ports.
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