The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded another major breakthrough in its crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, seizing narcotics worth over ₦10.3 billion and arresting several suspects, including a South African woman linked to an international drug syndicate and a commercial motorcycle (okada) rider caught with 100 wraps of methamphetamine.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi. According to the statement, the South African suspect was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after arriving from Cambodia through Doha, while the okada rider was intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. NDLEA also intercepted a container loaded with 4,143.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, with an estimated street value exceeding ₦10.3 billion.
Babafemi said the 38-year-old South African woman initially denied having any checked luggage, but NDLEA operatives matched two bags containing heroin to the baggage claim tags on her passport. She later admitted ownership of the luggage, claiming she had forgotten she checked them in.
Investigations revealed that the suspect travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja and is believed to be a key operative of a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating between Cambodia and South Africa alongside her partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 48-year-old commercial motorcycle rider, Onyechere Daniel Chinadu, shortly after he arrived from Madagascar via Addis Ababa aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight. A search of his luggage uncovered 87 wraps of methamphetamine concealed inside his clothing.
The suspect told investigators he had worked as an okada rider in Lagos for 15 years before being recruited into drug trafficking by a friend based in Uganda. After being placed under medical observation, he excreted 13 additional pellets over three days, bringing the total recovery to 100 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.715 kilograms.
At the Apapa Seaport, a joint security team comprising the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies intercepted a container from Canada containing 8,287 nylon bags of Canadian Loud weighing 4,143.5 kilograms. The seized drugs have an estimated street value of more than ₦10.3 billion.
In another operation, the agency intercepted an export-bound shipment containing 2.5 kilograms of skunk concealed inside a gas compressor destined for Cyprus through a courier company in Lagos.
Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA said it intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign with sensitisation programmes in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities across several states. Officials of the agency’s Zone 14 Command also paid a courtesy visit to Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, as part of the campaign.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers involved in the successful operations and urged commands across the country to remain vigilant in the fight against drug trafficking while sustaining public awareness against drug abuse.
