By Ayo Kehinde
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian national, Ms. Ingrid Rosa Benevides, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for attempting to smuggle 30.09 kilograms of heroin valued at over ₦3 billion into Nigeria.
The agency’s Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that, Benevides, a private security officer in Brazil, was arrested on Friday, January 23, 2026, upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha, following processed intelligence.
A search of her two checked-in bags led to the discovery of 21 factory-sealed coffee packs, which upon examination, were found to contain heroin instead of coffee. The seizure is the largest single heroin interception recorded at the Abuja airport. She reportedly told investigators she brought the consignment under the guise of visiting Nigeria for holidays.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives intercepted two passengers, Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, January 20, while they were en route to Istanbul, Turkey. The suspects were found with 3,990 pills of tapentadol and tramaking, concealed in food items packed in their bags.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Marine Command, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a wooden boat conveying 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1,848 kilograms at Jakande Beach, Lekki, Lagos, in the early hours of Thursday, January 22, shortly after the shipment arrived from Ghana.
In another major operation, NDLEA officers arrested two suspects, Aminu Ali Baba, 20, and Abdulrasheed Abubakar, 28, in connection with the seizure of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives heading to Kano and Kaduna. The bags were intercepted in a commercial vehicle along the Kaduna–Zaria highway, while follow-up operations led to the arrest of the suspects at Karota Park, Kano, and Mando Park, Kaduna, respectively. An intelligence-led raid in Kwangila, Zaria LGA, also led to the arrest of Fatima Ibrahim, 42, and Adejimoh Ismaila, 44, with 120 kilograms of skunk recovered.
In Borno State, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, January 21, intercepted 179,590 pills of tramadol and diazepam concealed in sacks of charcoal and animal feed in a commercial vehicle from Potiskum, Yobe State. A follow-up operation in Bulabulin, Maiduguri, resulted in the arrest of the owner, Rabiu Imam, 32.
Similarly, a female suspect, Mrs Eze Cynthia Chioma, was arrested in Mokwa, Niger State, on Friday, January 23, following the earlier seizure of 78,500 pills of tramadol in Bode Saadu, Kwara State, in a truck from Lagos. Her husband, who was arrested last year for a similar offence, is currently remanded in prison.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives arrested 72-year-old Afolalu Joseph at Aramoko Road, Ilawe-Ekiti, and Abu Bunmi, 45, at Erijinyan Road, with a total of 62 kilograms of skunk recovered. In Edo State, a village head, Chief James Abamu, and another suspect, Aboy Egah Abamu, were arrested after soldiers of the Nigerian Army 4 Brigade, Benin City, transferred them to NDLEA following a raid at Lagos Camp, Ilushi, Esan South East LGA, where 681 kilograms of skunk and 181 kilograms of cannabis seeds were recovered.
In Kano State, Abba Hassan, Anas Moh’d Auwal, and Sadik Ismail, were arrested in Sabon Gari with 1,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection, while in Oyo State, Olajumoke Ridwan and Baruwa Ibukun were arrested at Paris Lounge, Ring Road, Ibadan, with 181.5 litres of “skuchies,” a mixture of skunk and other illicit substances.
In Benue State, a female suspect, Janet Iornongu, was arrested in Guma LGA with 210 kilograms of skunk, while 254.5 kilograms of the same substance was seized from Anita Job along the Abaji–Toto Road, FCT. NDLEA officers also recovered 39,800 pills of tramadol from Hamisu Misbahu and Chima Obi at Alaba Rago, Mile 2, Lagos. In Delta State, Chinyecherem Cyprian Ugwu was arrested along Sapele Road, Warri, with over 30,000 pills of tramadol, molly, and other opioids, as well as 20 litres of codeine syrup. In Ondo State, Kayode Obameye, 57, was nabbed at Mobil Roundabout, Akure, with 1,500 kilograms of skunk.
Across the country, NDLEA officers also intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities, including institutions in Taraba, Osun, Imo, Benue, and Katsina states.
Commending the officers and men of the various commands for their professionalism and operational successes, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged them to sustain the momentum in both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts nationwide.
