NDLEA Seizes Explosives Bound for North-West Nigeria, Intercepts ₦3bn Worth of Heroin

Nigeria’s  National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested Aminu Ali Baba and Abdulrasheed Abubakar in connection with the seizure of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives destined for Kano and Kaduna States.

The explosives were intercepted in a commercial bus along the Kaduna – Zaria highway, following intelligence-led surveillance. Swift follow-up operations led to the arrest of Ali Baba at Karota Park in Kano and Abubakar at Mando Park in Kaduna.

In a separate but related operation, NDLEA operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian national, Ingrid Rosa Benevides, for attempting to smuggle 30.09 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria.

The drugs, concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs, were discovered in two checked-in bags following intelligence-led profiling.

Benevides, a private security officer in Brazil, arrived aboard a Qatar Airways flight. A search of her luggage revealed 21 sealed packs of Brazilian coffee, which were later found to contain heroin with an estimated street value exceeding ₦3 billion. NDLEA officials described the seizure as the largest heroin interception at the Abuja airport. The suspect reportedly claimed during preliminary interrogation that she travelled to Nigeria under the guise of a holiday.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, 20 January intercepted two passengers – Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko – en route to Istanbul, Turkey. A total of 3,990 pills of tapentadol and tramaking were recovered from food items concealed in their luggage.

Meanwhile, operatives of the Agency’s Marine Command intercepted a wooden boat carrying 44 jumbo bags of “Ghana Loud” cannabis, weighing 1,848 kilograms, at Jakande Beach, Lekki, Lagos, in the early hours of Thursday, 22 January. The consignment had reportedly arrived from Ghana before NDLEA officers stormed the location around 1 a.m. and recovered both the drugs and the vessel.

Further intelligence-led raids in Kaduna State led to the arrest of Fatima Ibrahim and Adejimoh Ismaila in Kwangila, Zaria Local Government Area, with 120 kilograms of skunk recovered.

As part of efforts to disrupt drug supply routes linked to terror groups, NDLEA operatives in Borno State intercepted 179,590 pills of tramadol and diazepam concealed in sacks of charcoal and animal feed in a vehicle travelling from Potiskum, Yobe State. A follow-up operation in Bulabulin, Maiduguri, led to the arrest of the alleged owner, Rabiu Imam.

Elsewhere, NDLEA arrested Mrs Eze Cynthia Chioma in Mokwa, Niger State, following the interception of 78,500 tramadol pills in Kwara State. Her husband, currently standing trial for a similar offence, was previously arrested last year.

In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives arrested Afolalu Joseph and Abu Bunmi for drug trafficking, recovering 62 kilograms of skunk. In Edo State, a village head, Chief James Abamu, and another suspect were taken into custody after a joint operation with the Nigerian Army led to the recovery of 681kg of skunk and 181kg of cannabis seeds.

Additional arrests and seizures were recorded in Kano, Oyo, Benue, Lagos, Delta, Ondo, and the Nation’s Capital – Abuja, involving large quantities of tramadol, cannabis, codeine syrup, pentazocine injections, and other illicit substances.