In a major crackdown on transnational drug cartels, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Thailand returnee, Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simonpeter, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, for attempting to smuggle 13.30 kilograms of heroin valued at over N3.1 billion. The arrest came as NDLEA operatives at three seaports also intercepted large consignments of opioids worth a staggering N22.7 billion.
Oguejiofor, a 29-year-old graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Anambra State, was arrested on October 7, 2024. He had arrived in Lagos from Thailand via Qatar Airways and attempted to retrieve his luggage, which had been rerouted to Accra, Ghana, as part of a scheme to evade security checks. Upon a search of his bags, NDLEA officers discovered six backpacks, each containing large parcels of heroin, with a combined weight of 13.30 kg.
According to Oguejiofor’s statement, he was promised $7,000 for successfully delivering the drugs—two parcels in Lagos and the remaining four in Accra. The NDLEA thwarted his plan when they intercepted him at the point of exit from the airport.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives also seized over 32.6 million tramadol pills valued at N12.57 billion and nearly 1.5 million bottles of codeine-based syrup worth N10.16 billion at the Lekki Deep Seaport, Apapa Seaport, and Port Harcourt Port Complex (Onne) between October 7 and October 11. These seizures were made possible through intelligence-based operations conducted jointly with Nigeria Customs and other security agencies.
In other operations, the NDLEA arrested Okelue Chidera, 29, with 50,000 tramadol tablets in Onitsha, Anambra, and seized over 1,160 kg of cannabis during raids in Edo State.
The NDLEA’s “War Against Drug Abuse” (WADA) campaign continues to engage communities, schools, and workplaces across Nigeria with sensitization activities. Recent WADA outreach events were held in schools across Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Niger, Oyo, Ebonyi, and Abuja, among others.
Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the efforts of the agency’s officers, acknowledging their commitment to reducing both drug supply and demand. He commended the operational successes across various regions and urged continued vigilance in the fight against drug trafficking in Nigeria.
