Indian businessman, three others arrested over N3.9b tramadol at Lagos airport

An Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, and three Nigerian accomplices: Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode, and Bakare Korede Muheeb, have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in connection with the seizure of 2,248,000 pills of tramadol (200mg/225mg) intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

The tramadol shipment, worth N3.9 billion in street value, was imported from Delhi, India, disguised as multi-vitamins in 114 cartons. It arrived at the import shed of the Lagos airport on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Monday, September 8, 2025.

A team of NDLEA officers, who had placed the consignment under surveillance, swooped on a clearing agent and two drivers attempting to move the shipment out of the airport in two trucks on Thursday, September 11. A follow-up operation the next day led to the arrest of the Indian businessman, Kumar, when he attempted to take delivery of the consignment.

At the Terminal 2 departure gate of the airport on Sunday, September 7, NDLEA operatives intercepted a passenger, Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi, travelling on a Qatar Airways flight to Doha. A search of his bag led to the discovery of 900 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in crayfish.

Onyeganochi, a first-time traveller, claimed the bag was given to him by a Qatar-based Nigerian, Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna, who accompanied him to the airport. His confession led to Uchenna’s arrest on the spot. A search of Uchenna’s hotel room in Ajao Estate uncovered an additional 200 grammes of the same psychoactive substance. Uchenna confessed that he intended to return to Doha days later to retrieve the bag from Onyeganochi if he had managed to evade security checks.

At the Tincan Port in Lagos, 161 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 81.7kg, and 1.2kg of hashish oil were recovered from a 40-foot container of vehicle spare parts and used cars imported from Montreal, Canada. The joint examination of the shipment took place on Tuesday, September 9. Two suspects, John Ochigbo, 53, and Okeke Kingsley, 26, were taken into custody in connection with the seizure.

Another 65kg shipment of Canadian Loud was tracked from the port to the Third Mainland Bridge, where NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Sienna conveying the consignment, recovered it, and arrested the driver, Abubakar Ibrahim, 42, on Thursday, September 11.

Two separate drug shipments were also intercepted at courier companies in Lagos on Monday, September 8, and Thursday, September 11. Six grammes of methamphetamine concealed in a picture frame were destined for Gabon, while 1.1kg of Loud hidden in video players was headed for the United Arab Emirates.

In the Ikorodu area of Lagos, NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, raided a factory producing skuchies, a mix of cannabis and blackcurrant drink, on Thursday, September 11. A total of 6,029 bottles of the psychoactive substance and 4,232kg of cannabis were recovered from the factory in Caritas, Ibeshe.

The factory manager, Joy Awosika, was arrested. Another suspect, Akeem Oriola, was also arrested the same day in Mushin with 26kg of skunk.

In Abuja, NDLEA operatives on a stop-and-search operation in the Utako area of the FCT on Thursday, September 11, arrested a dispatch rider, Godsplan Vincent, 29, while attempting to distribute 50.7 grammes of cocaine and 66 grammes of Loud.

In Oyo town, Oyo State, three women: Faidat Azeez, 25; Alanu Fatimoh, 40; and Mojeed Taiwo, 25, were arrested in Lagbondoko and Akitan areas in connection with the possession of 17kg of skunk.

Elsewhere, no fewer than 100,000 tramadol pills (200mg/225mg) were seized from a suspect, Musa Shuaibu, 38, at Gadar Tamburawa, along the Zaria–Kano road, on Monday, September 8. In a separate operation, 196 litres of Akuskura, a new psychoactive substance, were also recovered from another suspect.

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