Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested two drug kingpins at the Port Harcourt International Airport and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, who excreted a total of 125 wraps of heroin.

According to a statement by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, one of the kingpins uses dual identities to facilitate his cross-border movements.

Babafemi said the suspect holds a Nigerian passport under his original name, Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus, 30, and a Sierra Leonean passport under a different name, Kargbo Mohamed Foday.

“He was intercepted by the NDLEA officers with his Sierra Leonean passport on Sunday, February 2, 2025, at the Port Harcourt airport, Rivers State, during the inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha via Abuja to Port Harcourt.

“He was subsequently taken for a body scan, which confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs. He was then placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled a total of 62 wraps of heroin in five excretions, weighing 1.348 kilograms.

“Investigations revealed that Onyekwonike Elochukwu Sylvanus (alias Kargbo Mohamed Foday) alternates between his two identities for different drug trafficking missions between Thailand, Pakistan, Iran, and West African countries.”

Babafemi stated that the suspect confessed to having gone into the illicit drug trade full-time in 2017 after his business collapsed.

“He claimed to have gone full-time into the illicit drug trade in 2017 when his clothing and shoe business failed,” the statement read.

Babafemi said the second kingpin, James Chinoso, 48, was arrested by the NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport on Saturday, February 1, upon his arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

He stated that after a body scan confirmed the presence of illicit drugs in his system, he was placed under excretion observation, during which he egested 63 wraps of heroin with a total weight of 909 grams.

“Chinoso had left Lagos for Madagascar on January 26, 2025, and returned via Addis Ababa after spending a week. He claimed to have ventured into the criminal trade after his phone accessories business in Liberia collapsed,” Babafemi added.

In addition, two parcels containing 2.82 kilograms of Loud —a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from the United States and destined for Lagos— were intercepted by the NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation at a courier firm in Lagos on Thursday, February 6.

In another operation the same day but at a different logistics company in Lagos, Babafemi said anti-narcotics officers intercepted 80 ampoules of pentazocine injection, weighing 225 grams, concealed in cartons and heading to Canada.

In Kano State, Babafemi reported that the NDLEA operatives arrested Usaini Salisu and Yahaya Mu’azu, both 23 years old, on Monday, February 3, at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria Road, where 15,396 pills of tramadol were recovered from a gas cylinder used to conceal the consignment.

“In another operation the same day, operatives nabbed a female suspect, Chioma Okeke, 35, with 27 blocks of skunk —a strain of cannabis— weighing 15 kilograms at the Sabon Gari area of Kano.

“A consignment of 12,800 pills of tramadol 250mg, destined for Shuwarin in Jigawa State, was intercepted by the NDLEA officers on patrol along the Kabba-Obajana Highway in Kogi State on Saturday, February 8. A suspect, Salisu Basiru, 33, was arrested.

“Similarly, no fewer than 65 parcels of Colorado —a strong synthetic strain of cannabis— with a total weight of 1.6 kilograms, also heading to Jigawa State, were recovered from another suspect, Rufai Hassan, 32, at the same checkpoint on the same day,” Babafemi said.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted a 26-year-old nursing student, Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinma, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, as she attempted to smuggle 76 wraps of cocaine into India.

The 200-level nursing student of Noida International University, Uttar Pradesh, India, was apprehended on Thursday, at the Royal Park Hotel, Sabon Gari, Kano, where she awaited the drug consignment. She was scheduled to fly to India via a Qatar Airways flight on Friday.

A statement on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said her arrest followed the interception of a drug courier, 31-year-old Cosmas Okorie, by the NDLEA operatives on the Okene-Lokoja Highway in Kogi State earlier the same day.

He added that Okorie was travelling from Lagos to Kano with an audio speaker containing 76 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.34 kilograms, noting that a subsequent operation in Kano led to Uzodinma’s arrest.

Babafemi said, “Her lid was blown open when the NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja Highway in Kogi State on Thursday, January 16, intercepted 31-year-old Cosmas Okorie in a commuter bus coming from Lagos en route Kano. Inside his black polythene bag was an audio speaker, which was used to conceal 76 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.340 kilograms, which he was going to deliver to Uzodinma in Kano.

“A swift follow-up operation in Kano led to the arrest of the female nursing university student later the same day.”

Babafemi stated that the nursing student in her statement admitted to being recruited by a drug cartel in India that financed her trip to Nigeria for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

“To avoid her parents knowing she was in Nigeria, Uzodinma did not travel to her home state, Imo, but was lodged for two weeks in a hotel in Enugu, from where she was flown to Abuja and then Kano where she was lodged at the Royal Park Hotel to swallow the 76 pellets of cocaine sent to her from Lagos before taking her Qatar Airways flight to India on Friday morning.

“She said she was promised over $5,000 upon successful delivery of the illicit consignment in India, ”Babafemi added.

In other operations along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Highway, Babafemi said the NDLEA officers arrested four suspects: Abdullahi Umar; Tijjani Samaila; Lucky Obotte and Abubakar Haruna, who were heading to Maiduguri, Borno State, Kano, and Abuja in commuter vehicles with over 38,000 pills of tramadol 225mg, 250mg and 100mg concealed in audio speakers and cloths.

In Lagos State, Babafemi added that operatives of a special operations unit of the agency on Tuesday, January 14 raided the hideout of a 59-year-old Nwokedi Jonas in the Ojodu-Berger area of the state where they recovered 10 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 4.9kg as well as different paper bags he used in dispensing the psychoactive substance in retail quantities.

“Printed on them include street names and codes such as ‘Dead man’; ‘Gelato top shelf smoke’; ‘Topshelf’; and ‘Gelato cake’”, he added.

“In other operations in Lagos, operatives of the state command of the agency on Wednesday, January 15, raided a house in the Igando New Town area of Alimosho where they arrested three suspects: Isaac Vincent, 32; Ebube Ikechi, 25; and Christopher Usifoh, 43, from whom 1,610kg skunk, a strain of cannabis and 6kg pills of tramadol were recovered.

“Also recovered from the house were a delivery van and three other vehicles used for distributing the illicit drugs.

Two suspects, Olashile Okoya and Mohammed Ibrahim, were arrested on Saturday, January 18, when the NDLEA officers raided their home at 5A Addison Palmer, Cadogan Estate, Castle Rock Avenue, Osapa, Lekki Lagos, where 28 kilograms of Canadian Loud were recovered following credible intelligence,” the statement added.

In Kano State, Babafemi said two suspects: Usama Adamu, 25, and Isah Ibrahim, 29, were arrested at Dawanau, Dawakin Tofa LGA on Friday with a total of 7.6kg skunk, 78 tubes of rubber solution and 356 bottles of ‘suck and die’, a new psychoactive substance were recovered from them.

“In another raid in Kano, Usman Isa, 29, was nabbed along the Zaria Road with 114 blocks of skunk weighing 49.8kg.

Three suspects: Lawali Isiaka, Umoru Isiaka and Mohammed Kabiru were on Wednesday, January 15 by the NDLEA operatives with 390 tablets of Molly and 65.5kg of cannabis at Bode Saadu in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State, while Samuel Ogbu, 24, was nabbed with 25,000 pills of tramadol by operatives along Wukari- Zaki Ibiam road, Wukari LGA, Taraba state, “Babafemi added.

He also in a series of raids in Abuja, a suspect, Rufa’i Hashimu, 27, was arrested at the Gwarimpa village area of the FCT with 118 bottles of codeine-based syrup.

“Thirteen others were nabbed in other locations such as Area 1 IDP camp, Gishiri, Zuba, Dei -Dei, AYA, Lagos Street Garki, Karu, and Lugbe. Recovered from them include different quantities of tramadol, diazepam, and methamphetamine,” Babafemi added.