1 week ago
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In continuation of the war against narcotics, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Sunday said it foiled attempts by two drug kingpins to smuggle consignments of heroin into Nigeria through the Port Harcourt International Airport and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA).
The duo were arrested on 2nd February at Port Harcourt Airport, Rivers state, and 1st February at the Lagos Airport.
Announcing the breakthrough in a statement Sunday, NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said: “One of the kingpins, who uses dual identities to aid his cross-border movements, holds a Nigerian passport under his original name, Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus, 30, and a Sierra Leonean passport under a different name, Kargbo Mohamed Foday.
“He was intercepted by NDLEA officers with his Sierra Leonean passport on Sunday, 2nd February 2025, at Port Harcourt Airport, Rivers State, during the inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha via Abuja.
“A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs, leading to his placement under excretion observation. He subsequently expelled a total of 62 wraps of heroin in five excretions, weighing 1.348 kilograms.
“Investigations reveal that Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus (alias Kargbo Mohamed Foday) alternates between his two identities for various drug trafficking missions between Thailand, Pakistan, Iran, and West African countries. He admitted to engaging full-time in the illicit drug trade since 2017 after his clothing and shoe business collapsed.”
Babafemi also said the second kingpin, James Herbert Chinoso, 48, was arrested by the NDLEA operatives at Lagos Airport Saturday, 1st February, upon arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
He said: “After a body scan confirmed the presence of illicit drugs in his system, he was placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 63 wraps of heroin, totalling 909 grams.
“Chinoso had departed Lagos for Madagascar on 26th January 2025 and returned via Addis Ababa after spending a week. He claimed to have ventured into drug trafficking after his phone accessories business in Liberia collapsed.”
“Two parcels containing 2.82 kilograms of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from the United States and destined for Lagos, were also intercepted by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) at a courier firm in Lagos on Thursday, 6th February.
“In a separate interdiction operation on the same day, but at a different logistics company in Lagos, anti-narcotics officers intercepted 80 ampoules of pentazocine injection (225 grams) concealed in cartons bound for Canada.
“In Kano, NDLEA operatives arrested Usaini Salisu and Yahaya Mu’azu, both 23, on Monday, 3rd February, at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria Road, where they recovered 15,396 pills of tramadol hidden inside a gas cylinder.
“In another operation that same day, operatives apprehended a female suspect, Chioma Okeke, 35, with 27 blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 15 kilograms, at the Sabon Gari area of Kano.
“Additionally, a consignment of 12,800 tramadol 250mg pills, en route to Shuwarin, Jigawa State, was intercepted by NDLEA officers on patrol along the Kabba-Obajana highway in Kogi State on Saturday, 8th February. A suspect, Salisu Basiru, 33, was arrested in connection with the drugs.
“Similarly, 65 parcels of Colorado, a strong synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 1.6 kilograms, also headed for Jigawa State, were recovered from another suspect, Rufai Hassan, 32, at the same checkpoint on the same day,” the statement added.
…Sensitisation campaign
And in furtherance of its effort to discourage the use of hard drugs, the NDLEA Commands and formations across the country took their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities over the past week.
These initiatives included WADA enlightenment lectures at: Saint Secondary School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Taangayar Malam Abubakar Bichi, an Almajiri school, Bichi, Kano; Federal Government Girls College, Calabar, Cross River; College of Nursing and Science, Birnin Kebbi; Meiran Community Junior Secondary School, Abule Egba, Lagos.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) commended the officers and men of MMIA, PHIA, DOGI, Kano, and Kogi commands for their arrests and seizures.
Marwa described the arrest of the suspects, along with similar ones across the country as a reflection of a well-balanced approach to both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction strategies.
….NAFDAC seeks death penalty
Meanwhile, Director General (DG) National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye has reiterated the agency’s call for death penalty for drug offenders, saying their actions often lead to the death of innocent people, particularly children.
Speaking at the weekend, Adeyeye expressed worry over the spate of activities of drug peddlers who prioritised financial gain over human lives.
Describing them as “merchants of death”, she contended that only dire consequences would serve as a deterrent to the growing menace of counterfeit medicines in the country.
She cited instances where individuals importing dangerous drugs, such as highly potent doses of Tramadol, received only minimal punishment.
Adeyeye said: “A person brings in a harmful drug capable of killing people, yet he gets a mere five-year sentence or a fine of N250, 000.
“Who wouldn’t pay such a fine and go back to the same crime? This is why we need stricter measures.”
Adeyeye, who noted pledge by some lawmakers to collaborate with NAFDAC in advocating for tougher penalties for drug peddlers, said the agency remained committed to fighting the circulation of substandard and falsified medicines.
The NAFDAC lamented that their efforts were often hampered by inadequate staffing and limited resources, pointing out that with only about 2,000 employees nationwide and roughly one staff member serving 119,000 Nigerians, NAFDAC faces significant challenges in enforcing regulations and cracking down on offenders.
Adyeye said: “We are understaffed, and our funding is limited. I hope things will improve so we can strengthen our efforts.”
…Destroys N4.7bn fake drugs
Similarly, Blueprint reports that NAFDAC destroyed fake and expired medical products valued at N4.7 billion at the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) dumpsite in Port Harcourt.
Acting Sole Administrator of RIWAMA Prince Obi Ohia expressed his support for the initiative, highlighting its role in ridding society of dangerous substances and reducing health risks to the population.
“We are here to witness the mass destruction of seized, smuggled, and medically unfit items that NAFDAC has confiscated to protect the health of our people,” Ohia stated.
He emphasized that RIWAMA, as a primary regulator for waste management in the state, was proud to facilitate this essential exercise.
Ohia praised NAFDAC for their outstanding efforts and called on other agencies to follow their example, reinforcing the need for stringent measures against health hazards in society.
The RIWAMA boss also seized the opportunity to showcase the state as a hospitable and safe destination, attributing its peaceful atmosphere to the leadership of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“Let me happily say that this exercise has created opportunity for some of you to visit Rivers State at a time when we have remained constant in national news. I am certain that you can now bear testament to the hospitable, clean and safe status of Rivers state. This is credit to our amiable and able Governor, His Excellency, Amaposinibo Sir Similayi Fubara GSSRS, whose peaceful and purposeful disposition has left the state with no option but peace and progress”.
“You can now be a disciple of the state by informing people around your reach that the state is far away from retrogression,” he encouraged attendees.
In his remarks, South-South Director of NAFDAC, Chukwuemeka Oligbu, who represented the Director General, said the exercise was the first of its kind in the South-South for the year and involved the destruction of substandard medical products, unsafe cosmetics, and unwholesome food items.
He urged the public to report any suspicious pharmaceutical activities and unsafe products to NAFDAC.
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