The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a significant drug bust at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, where a 42-year-old Indian woman, Ms. Neetu Neetu, was arrested with 72 parcels of heroin concealed in wafer wraps and disguised as chocolates. The heroin, weighing 11 kilograms, was discovered in her luggage after a search at the airport’s arrival hall.
According to a statement from the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the operation took place on March 14, 2025, during the inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1431, which had arrived from Bangkok, Thailand, via Vietnam and Doha. The successful interception came as a result of credible intelligence and vigilant monitoring.
Reacting to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) highlighted the disturbing trend of drug cartels recruiting foreign nationals, including white women, to traffic illicit substances through Nigerian borders. “This growing tactic by drug trafficking organizations has consistently been thwarted by our dedicated officers, aided by modern technological tools and proactive intelligence,” Marwa stated.
Major Drug Busts in Kano and Lagos
The NDLEA has also carried out several other major drug seizures across Nigeria. In Kano, a 45-year-old suspect, Michael Ogundele, was arrested on Thursday after NDLEA operatives discovered 50,000 pills of tramadol concealed inside a 50-litre steel gas cylinder along the Zaria-Kano road. Officers used welding tools to cut open the cylinder and extract the drugs.
In another operation, a 40-year-old man, Sunday Ogar, was arrested with 27kg of skunk, a powerful strain of cannabis, in Gunduwawa, Kano. A third suspect, Khadijah Abdullahi, 40, was apprehended in Lungun Bulala Yalwa with 424 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers arrested two men, Olumuyiwa Kolawole and Samod Adisa, in Mushin with 67.5kg of skunk. Another 100.8kg of the same drug was recovered from a store in Anifowoshe, Mushin, belonging to two fleeing suspects. Additionally, Isah Idris was arrested in Apapa with 4.5kg of skunk, 600 grams of tramadol, and 30 litres of codeine syrup. On the same day, Yahaya Mohamed was arrested in Ikotun with cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
National Campaigns Against Drug Abuse
Alongside its enforcement operations, the NDLEA has ramped up its War Against Drug Abuse advocacy, holding sensitization programs in schools, markets, workplaces, and religious centers across the country. Recent awareness campaigns include lectures at various schools in Lagos, Niger State, Anambra State, Ekiti State, Sokoto State, and Adamawa State.
Brig. Gen. Marwa commended the efforts of the NDLEA officers in Kano, Lagos, and MAKIA for their unwavering dedication in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking. “Our operatives must continue to balance and sustain the fight against drug supply and demand across the nation,” he emphasized.
