The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted two drug kingpins attempting to smuggle heroin into Nigeria through Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, and Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Rivers State.
One of the traffickers, Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus, 30, who also uses the Sierra Leonean identity Kargbo Mohamed Foday, was arrested on February 2, 2025, at Port Harcourt airport while arriving from Doha via Abuja on a Qatar Airways flight.
A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit substances, leading to his placement under observation.
Over five excretions, he expelled 62 wraps of heroin weighing 1.348kg. Investigations revealed that Sylvanus frequently switches between his Nigerian and Sierra Leonean identities to facilitate drug trafficking across Thailand, Pakistan, Iran, and West Africa.
He admitted to joining the illegal trade in 2017 after his clothing and shoe business collapsed.
Similarly, James Herbert Chinoso, 48, was arrested on February 1, 2025, at Lagos airport upon arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
A body scan confirmed he had ingested drugs, and under observation, he excreted 63 wraps of heroin weighing 909 grams. Chinoso admitted to engaging in drug trafficking after his phone accessories business in Liberia failed.
Other NDLEA Operations:
- On February 6, NDLEA officers seized 2.82kg of Loud (synthetic cannabis) from a courier firm in Lagos and intercepted 80 ampoules of pentazocine injection (225g) hidden in cartons bound for Canada.
- In Kano, two suspects, Usaini Salisu and Yahaya Mu’azu, both 23, were arrested on February 3 with 15,396 Tramadol pills hidden in a gas cylinder.
- A 35-year-old woman, Chioma Okeke, was arrested in Sabon Gari, Kano, with 27 blocks of skunk cannabis weighing 15kg.
- On February 8, NDLEA officers intercepted 12,800 Tramadol 250mg pills on the Kabba-Obajana highway in Kogi State, leading to the arrest of Salisu Basiru, 33.
- That same day, 65 parcels of Colorado synthetic cannabis (1.6kg) were recovered from Rufai Hassan, 32, en route to Jigawa State.
NDLEA’s Anti-Drug Campaign:
As part of its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, NDLEA intensified sensitization programs across schools, religious centers, workplaces, and communities nationwide. Awareness campaigns were held in institutions like Saint Secondary School, Abakaliki; Federal Government Girls College, Calabar; and Meiran Community Junior Secondary School, Lagos.
NDLEA Chairman Commends Officers
NDLEA Chairman and CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the agency’s officers for their successful operations. He reaffirmed NDLEA’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and abuse across Nigeria, emphasizing the agency’s dual approach to reducing both **drug supply and demand.
