Indian businessman, three others nabbed over ₦3.9bn tramadol in Lagos

By: Kingsley Omonobi

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) person arrested an Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, alongside 3 Nigerian accomplices: Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode, and Bakare Korede Muheeb, successful transportation with the seizure of 2,248,000 pills of Tramadol 200mg/225mg.

The illicit drugs were intercepted astatine the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said: “The Tramadol shipment, worthy N3.99 cardinal successful thoroughfare value, was imported from Delhi, India. It was disguised arsenic multivitamins successful 114 cartons and arrived astatine the import shed of the Lagos airdrome connected an Ethiopian Airlines formation connected Monday, 8th September 2025.

A squad of NDLEA officers who had placed the consignment nether surveillance swooped connected a clearing cause and 2 drivers attempting to determination it retired of the airdrome successful 2 trucks connected Thursday, 11th September. A follow-up cognition the adjacent time led to the apprehension of the Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, erstwhile helium came to instrumentality transportation of the consignment.”

At the Terminal 2 departure gross of the airdrome connected Sunday, 7th September, NDLEA operatives besides intercepted a passenger, Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi, travelling connected a Qatar Airways formation to Doha. A hunt of his container uncovered 900 grams of skunk (a potent strain of cannabis) concealed successful crayfish.

As a first-time traveller, Onyeganochi claimed the container had been fixed to him by a Qatar-based Nigerian, Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna, who followed him to the airport. His confession led to Uchenna’s arrest, and a hunt of Uchenna’s edifice country successful Ajao Estate uncovered an further 200 grams of the aforesaid substance. He admitted helium was to instrumentality to Doha aboriginal to retrieve the container if Onyeganochi had succeeded successful evading information checks.

At the Tincan Port, Lagos, NDLEA officers recovered 161 parcels of Canadian Loud (81.7kg) and 1.2kg of hashish lipid concealed successful a 40ft instrumentality of conveyance spare parts and utilized cars imported from Montreal, Canada. The seizure, made during a associated introspection connected Tuesday, 9th September, led to the apprehension of John Ochigbo (53) and Okeke Kingsley (26).

Another shipment of 65kg of Canadian Loud was tracked from the larboard to the Third Mainland Bridge, wherever NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Sienna conveying the consignment and arrested the driver, Abubakar Ibrahim (42), connected Thursday, 11th September.

Two abstracted shipments of drugs concealed successful courier parcels were besides seized successful Lagos: 6 grams of methamphetamine hidden successful a representation frame, destined for Gabon and 1.1kg of Loud concealed successful video players, bound for the UAE.

In Ikorodu, Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting connected quality raided a mill producing “skuchies,” a blend of cannabis and blackcurrant drink, connected Thursday, 11th September. They recovered 6,029 bottles of the portion and 4,232kg of cannabis, arresting the mill manager, Joy Awosika. Another suspect, Akeem Oriola, was arrested the aforesaid time successful Mushin with 26kg of skunk.

In Abuja, a stop-and-search cognition successful Utako led to the apprehension of dispatch rider Godsplan Vincent (29) with 50.7 grams of cocaine and 66 grams of Loud.

In Oyo State, 3 women — Faidat Azeez (25), Alanu Fatimoh (40), and Mojeed Taiwo (25) — were arrested with 17kg of skunk successful Lagbondoko and Akitan areas of Oyo Town.

In Kano, NDLEA officers seized 100,000 pills of Tramadol 200mg/225mg from Musa Shuaibu (38) astatine Gadar Tamburawa on the Zaria–Kano roadworthy connected Monday, 8th September. In abstracted operations, they recovered 196 litres of Akuskura from Abubakar Adamu (35) successful Na’ibawa; and 34.1kg of skunk, 493 tubes of rubber solution, and 25 litres of “suck and die” from Basiru Umar (18) successful Kumbotso LGA.

In Anambra, a mates — Nzube Onyedika (41) and Ebele Onyedika (42) — were arrested successful Obosi with 13.9kg of methamphetamine and 5.3kg of skunk. Another suspect, Nnamchi Tochukwu (36), was recovered with quantities of meth, tramadol, swinol, heroin, and skunk.

In Yobe, Mohammed Auwal was arrested aft NDLEA recovered 22.1kg of cannabis from his residence successful Potiskum.

In Ogun State, NDLEA operatives moving with constabulary and section vigilantes arrested 3 trans-border traffickers — Kunyadi Kunle Ogbungbun (24), Olalekan Adewale (20), and Sanya Joshua (22) — with 394kg of skunk successful Imeko connected Sunday, 7th Sep...