NDLEA recovers tramadol pills concealed in gas cylinder in Kano, Lagos raids
…Intercepts heroin wraps concealed in chocolate wrapper
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully uncovered tramadol pills hidden inside gas cylinders in Kano State as part of its continued crackdown on drug trafficking.
During a targeted raid, NDLEA operatives arrested 45-year-old suspect, Michael Ogundele, who was found in possession of a 50-litre steel gas cylinder at Gadar Tamburawa, along the Zaria-Kano road. Acting on reliable intelligence, officers used welding equipment to cut open the cylinder, where 50,000 tramadol 225mg pills were concealed.
Further operations led to the apprehension of 40-year-old Sunday Ogar on Wednesday, 19th March, at Gunduwawa, Kano, with 27kg of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis. Similarly, a female suspect, Khadijah Abdullahi, 40, was arrested on Tuesday, 18th March, in Lungun Bulala Yalwa, where she was found in possession of 424 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
In a separate operation, the NDLEA intercepted a 42-year-old Indian national, Ms Neetu Neetu, at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano. She was caught with 72 parcels of heroin, factory-sealed in wafer packaging designed to resemble chocolates.
The consignment, weighing 11 kilograms, was confiscated from her luggage after a thorough search following actionable intelligence. The narcotics were trafficked via Qatar Airways flight QR1431 from Bangkok, Thailand, through Vietnam and Doha, before arriving in Kano on Friday, 14th March 2025.
Speaking on the arrest, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), noted that the interception highlights a growing trend where drug cartels recruit foreign nationals, particularly white women, to smuggle illegal substances into Nigeria.
He stressed that modern surveillance tools and proactive intelligence gathering have enabled the NDLEA to disrupt these trafficking attempts consistently.
In another enforcement operation on Thursday, 20th March, NDLEA officers in Lagos apprehended Olumuyiwa Kolawole and Samod Adisa in Mushin with 67.5kg of skunk. Additionally, 100.8kg of the same psychoactive substance was seized from a store belonging to two suspects who fled the scene in Anifowoshe, Mushin.
Elsewhere in Lagos, officers arrested Isah Idris in Apapa on Tuesday, 18th March, with 4.5kg of skunk, 600 grams of tramadol 225mg, and 30 litres of codeine syrup. On the same day, Yahaya Mohamed was detained in Ikotun with varying quantities of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA has intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign across Nigeria.
Officers conducted awareness lectures in schools, markets, motor parks, workplaces, and places of worship, including Chrisland School, Ikeja, Lagos; Hakimi Secondary School, Mokwa, Niger State; Marist Comprehensive College, Nteje, Anambra State; Ikole City College, Ikole-Ekiti, Ekiti State; Government Day Secondary School, Sunane, Sokoto State; and Government Day Secondary School, Jada, Adamawa State, among others.
Commending the efforts of the MAKIA, Lagos, and Kano Commands, Brig Gen Marwa praised their balanced approach in tackling both drug supply and demand. He urged officers across the country to remain steadfast in their mission to dismantle drug networks and protect Nigerian communities from substance abuse
