BY FAITH AIRAODION

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have destroyed a total of 16,966.633 kilograms of a cannabis plantation, measuring 6.786653 hectares at Ugbogui forest, Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State.

Spokesman of the anti-narcotic Agency, Femi Babafemi confirmed this in a statement where he said 112 bags of processed cannabis weighing 1,176 kilograms were also recovered by during the raid of illicit drugs.

Babafemi revealed that four suspects: Ebenezer Ewang; Oshore John; Emmanuel Monday and David Sunday were arrested during last week’s raid.

The Agency also confirmed the arrest of an Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar and three Nigerian accomplices in connection with the seizure of Two Million Two Hundred and Forty-Eight Thousand (2,248,000) pills of tramadol 200mg/225mg.

The criminal suspects were identified as Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode and Bakare Korede Muheeb by NDLEA personnel.

The criminal suspects, according to NDLEA, were intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.

The tramadol shipment worth Three Billion Nine Hundred and Ninety Million Naira (N3,990,000,000) in street value was imported from Delhi, India, NDLEA said.

The consignment was packaged as multi-vitamins in 114 cartons and arrived the import shed of the Lagos airport on an on Ethiopian Airline flight on Monday 8th September 2025, NDLEA said.

A follow up operation the following day, Friday led to the arrest of the Indian businessman Gupta Ravi Kumar, when he was trying to take delivery of the consignment, according to the Agency.

Also, operatives intercepted a passenger Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi travelling on a Qatar Airline flight to Doha at the terminal 2 departure gate of the airport, NDLEA said a search of his bag led to the recovery of 900grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis concealed in crayfish.

As a first-time traveler, Onyeganochi claimed the bag was given to him to help take to Doha by a Qatar-based Nigerian Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna who actually followed him to the airport.

His confession led to the arrest of Uchenna who was still within view. Operatives who later conducted a search of Uchenna’s hotel room in Ajao estate discovered additional 200grams of the same psychoactive substance.

The suspect claimed he was to return to Doha days later and pick the bag from the unsuspecting Onyeganochi if he had succeeded escaping security checks.

Aside Lagos and Edo State, the NDLEA, recorded breakthrough across its Commands in
Kano, FCT, Anambra, Yobe, and Ogun Commands for the arrests, and seizures during the same period.