Two Indian-bound brothers, John Abugu (43) and Kenneth Abugu (31), were allegedly caught with suitcases of illicit drug at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The two brothers were arrested by Operatives of a Special Operations Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with five kilograms cocaine allegedly concealed in the walls of their suitcases while attempting to board a flight to India.
The arrest of the two Abugu brothers was contained in a press release, on Sunday, by the NDLEA Director (Media & Advocacy), Femi Babafemi.
The two brothers, who were arrested on Thursday, 3 April, 2025 following proactive processing of credible intelligence, claimed they were travelling to India for medical treatment.
But when their suitcases were thoroughly searched by the NDLEA officers, whitish powdery substances later confirmed to be cocaine were discovered on the walls of their bags.
In a similar development, NDLEA officers of the MMIA Strategic Command same day, intercepted a 20-year-old Ghanaian-British man, Parker Darren Hazekia Osei, with 36 parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 19.40kg packed in a giant travelling bag.
The suspect, who claimed he is a student of Computer Science at East London University, UK, was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand, at the E-arrival hall of the Lagos Airport.
In his statement, Osei claimed that he was living with his parents in the UK but left London about a week ago for Bangkok where he picked up the illicit drug consignment to deliver in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Kogi state have arrested a 33-year-old lady, Ngozi Ogili while moving three kilogrammes of methamphetamine from Lagos to Abuja.
“Ngozi Ogili was nabbed in a commercial transport bus along Okene-Lokoja highway on Monday 31st March 2025.
“A follow up operation at her point of delivery in Apo Mechanic Area of Abuja led to the seizure of quantities of loud and colorado, both synthetic strains of cannabis,” it was stated.
NDLEA officers, on Saturday, 5 April, arrested a 75-year-old grandpa, Nna Nnanna Felix, with 1.6kg skunk, a strain of cannabis during a raid at Umunteke Asa, Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State.
Another suspect, David Chinemerem (21), was nabbed with 2,050 ampoules of pentazocine at 7 Nnajiego Lane, Umuode Road, Aba on Tuesday 1st April.
No fewer than 381 bottles of codeine syrup and 108 tablets of tramadol were seized from a suspect, Abdullahi Adamu along Potiskum-Damaturu Road, Yobe State by NDLEA operatives last Saturday.
Raid operations at Osogbo Motor Park, Onitsha and a house at Oba in Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra State led to the arrest of Obinna Sunday and the seizure of 195,000 pills of tramadol.
Also arrested during the raid at the motor park was Ugochukwu Ojalanonye with 4.2kg codeine syrup and 5.4kg pentazocine.
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) NDLEA operatives, last Thursday, arrested 51-year-old Sunday Ayogu with 25kg skunk and 90.4g of methamphetamine during a raid operation at Wuse Market, Abuja.
Two ladies, Faith Effiong Etim (64) and Victoria Asuquo Etim (40), were nabbed, last Friday, when NDLEA operatives, supported by men of the Nigerian Army, raided cannabis plantations in Esuk-Odot Community, Odukpani LGA of Cross River State.
250,000 kilogrammes of the psychoactive plant were destroyed on over 100 hectares of farm land.
“With the same vigour, commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
“These include WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Cave City Secondary School, Ogidi, Anambra state; residents of Dan’iyau village, Batagarawa LGA, Katsina; and members of Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers in Sangere and Kwanan Waya, Yola, Adamawa state, among others,” it was stated in the release
Meanwhile, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), has commended the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, Yobe, Abia, Kogi, Anambra, Cross River and FCT commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures.
He stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country, especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts, were well appreciated.
