Paris-Bound Businessman Arrested at Abuja Airport for Ingesting Heroin, Cocaine
NDLEA Intercepts 2 Boats with Illicit Drugs in Lagos, Arrests 6 Ghanaians and Beninese
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 48-year-old businessman, Orizu Ifeanyi Arthur, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja for attempting to smuggle 74 wraps of heroin and cocaine by ingesting them.
The arrest occurred on Sunday, December 22, 2024, at the boarding gate of the Abuja Airport while Orizu was preparing to board Air France flight 844 to Paris, France. According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Orizu was pulled aside for a body scan, which he refused, citing medical reasons. Subsequently, he was taken into custody for observation, during which he excreted 74 wraps of the illicit drugs over the course of seven days.
Orizu, who claimed to own a shop selling school and travel bags at Balogun Market on Lagos Island, said he had been promised €3,000 for successfully delivering the drugs to Paris. He had traveled from Lagos to Abuja, hoping to evade detection and complete the smuggling operation.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives from the Marine Command intercepted two boats at 2:30 AM on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, in the Eleko beach area of Lekki, Lagos. The boats were loaded with 1,960 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis. Six foreign nationals—two Ghanaians, Godsway John, 38, and Freedom Kelvin, 33, along with four Beninese nationals, Chegoun Hounsou, 23; Gadabor Nyameto, 47; Adantg Sasa, 34; and Ayao Kayivi, 21—were arrested during the operation.
In Katsina State, a 35-year-old suspect, Ibrahim Shaibu, was arrested on Christmas Day, December 25, with 40 parcels of compressed cannabis sativa, weighing 35kg, at the Central Motor Park. Another suspect, Umar Ahmed, 47, was apprehended on December 28 along the Zaria-Malumfashi road, carrying 27 parcels of the same drug, weighing 13.5kg.
Additionally, 21-year-old Kosisochukwu Ozigbo was arrested in Benin City, Edo State, on December 23, with 32,490 pills of tramadol in various dosages, 936 bottles of codeine-based syrup, and several other opioids.
The NDLEA’s operations across the country have also been complemented by War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaigns, which included sensitization lectures in schools, markets, worship centers, and communities. Notable WADA events include a lecture in Akoka, Lagos State, in collaboration with Menitos Foundation, and a session for Jama’atul Nasril Islam members in Adamawa State.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the efforts of the NAIA, Katsina, Edo, and Marine Commands for their successful operations in the past week. He urged the officers to continue their efforts in combating drug cartels and traffickers in 2025 while maintaining the momentum of their WADA sensitization programs.
