Nigeria: NDLEA intercepts Indian woman with 72 parcels of heroin at Kano Airport
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
In a significant breakthrough, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 42-year-old Indian woman, Ms. Neetu Neetu, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano. The suspect was found to be in possession of 72 parcels of heroin, weighing a total of 11 kilograms, concealed in her luggage.
The heroin was cleverly packaged as chocolates, with each parcel factory-sealed in wafer wraps. The NDLEA operatives discovered the illicit substance after conducting a thorough search of Neetu’s luggage, based on credible intelligence.
According to a statement by the NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, Neetu was apprehended on Friday, March 14, 2025, during an inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1431, which arrived from Bangkok, Thailand, via Vietnam and Doha.
The arrest of Neetu is seen as a significant attempt by drug trafficking organizations to hire foreign nationals to move illicit drugs through Nigerian borders. However, the NDLEA has consistently frustrated these attempts, thanks to its vigilant operatives and modern technological tools.
In another operation in Kano, NDLEA officers arrested a 45-year-old suspect, Michael Ogundele, with a 50-liter steel gas cylinder at Gadar Tamburawa, along Zaria-Kano Road. Upon cutting open the cylinder, operatives extracted 50,000 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed inside.
Additionally, the NDLEA arrested Sunday Ogar, 40, with 27kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis, in the Gunduwawa area of Kano. Another suspect, Khadijah Abdullahi, 40, was arrested with 424 bottles of codeine-based syrup at Lungun Bulala Yalwa area of the state.
In Lagos, the NDLEA arrested two suspects, Olumuyiwa Kolawole and Samod Adisa, with 67.5kg of skunk in Mushin. Furthermore, 100.8kg of the same psychoactive substance was recovered from the store of two fleeing suspects in Anifowoshe area of Mushin.
These arrests and seizures demonstrate the NDLEA’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria. The agency’s efforts have resulted in significant disruptions to the supply chain of illicit substances, and its operatives remain vigilant in their pursuit of those involved in the trade.
