NDLEA Makes Major Drug Busts at Kano, Lagos Airports, Arrests Italy-Based Businesswoman

NDLEA intercepts significant drug shipments at Kano and Lagos airports, nabbing an Italy-based businesswoman and others in connection with the illegal trade.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully thwarted a major attempt to smuggle 256 cocaine wraps, weighing a total of 6 kilograms, through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).

Olisaka Calistus, an import-export businessman, was arrested during a routine passenger screening on an Ethiopian Airlines flight arriving from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The arrest took place on Sunday, December 15, 2024 when operatives discovered that he had concealed cocaine within his body.

This seizure represents the largest cocaine interception at MAKIA since the Kano Command of NDLEA was established in 2006.

Femi Babafemi, Director of Media & Advocacy for the NDLEA, reported that Calistus was trying to smuggle drugs into the country when authorities uncovered the hidden contraband.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, NDLEA officers successfully prevented a similar attempt.

Olanrewaju Akorede, who has a previous conviction, was apprehended for allegedly trying to smuggle rohypnol into South Africa hidden within cargo that included gari, shoes, and men’s clothing. Akorede had earlier been convicted in December 2023 for attempting to traffic tramadol and rohypnol; however, he secured his release by paying a fine only to commit the same crime again.

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Furthermore, NDLEA officers apprehended Italy-based businesswoman Cynthia Akaeen at Lagos Airport on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. She was attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc flight headed to Italy.

Akaeen was reportedly found with 9,190 tablets of tramadol weighing 6 kilograms. She intended to deliver them in exchange for a promised payment of 1,000 Euros.

In subsequent operations, NDLEA agents conducted a raid on a warehouse in Onitsha, Anambra State, on December 17. They recovered over 418,000 pills of tramadol and tapentadol as well as 8,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup. Additionally, the agency discovered another shipment comprising 180,000 bottles of codeine syrup at Tincan Island port in Lagos on December 18 during a joint examination with Customs authorities along with DSS officers and other security agencies. The consignee for this shipment from Mundra, India—identified as Makata Emmanuel—was taken into custody.

Additional notable drug busts involved the confiscation of 293,000 tramadol capsules and firearms in Borno State on December 16. In Maiduguri, authorities seized 50 liters of a new psychoactive substance called “suck and die,” along with various other drugs. Meanwhile, operations in Oyo State resulted in the seizure of 33.5 kilograms of cannabis, while a raid in Enugu led to the discovery and recovery of 94 kilograms of cannabis.