Tightening and closing up on drug peddlers in Nigeria has led to the apprehension of a suspected drug trafficker with dual identities by authorities in Port Harcourt (PH) International Airport.
The suspected drug lord, whose original name appears as Onyekwonike Sylvanus, age 30 on his Nigeria passport, was arrested with a Sierra Leone passport, bearing Kargbo Foday, usually used for easy border crossing.
He was arrested by the officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on 2 February 2025 with his Sierra Leone passport.
The anti-drug agency revealed that Sylvanus was intercepted during an inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha through Abuja to Port Harcourt.
After a body scan which showed several substances suspected to be drugs were found inside his body, he was placed under excretion observation where he expelled a total of 62 wraps of heroin five consecutive times, weighing 1.348 kilograms.
Further disclosure noted that Sylvanus operates with his dual passports across Thailand, Pakistan, Iran, and West African countries.
Sylvanus said he has been into drug trafficking since 2017 after his clothing and shoe business collapsed.
In similar vein, James Chinoso, aged 48, was arrested at the Lagos airport on 1 February as he made his return back from Madagascar via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
Femi Babafemi, the Director, Media and Advocacy disclosed that Chinoso made his way out of the country on 26 January and returned in a week.
Following a body scan, he was also placed under excretion observation where he expelled 63 wraps of heroin weighing 909 grams.
He explained that his collapsed phone accessories business in Liberia led him into the peddling business.
On 6 February, NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted 2.82 kilograms of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis concealed into two parcels, imported from the United States to Lagos State at a courier firm.
The same day, 80 ampoules of pentazocine injection 225 grams which were concealed in cartons heading to Canada from a different logistic company in Lagos was also intercepted by anti-narcotics officers.
On 3 February, NDLEA operatives in Kano seized 15,396 pills of tramadol concealed inside a gas cylinder from Usaini Salisu and Yahaya Mu’azu, 23-year-old respectively, at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria road.
Another drug peddler, Choima Okeke, 35, was arrested in the Sabon Gari area of Kano with a strain of cannabis weighing 15kg hidden inside a skunk.
Later, on 8 February, during the team patrol at Kabba-Obajana highway in Kogi state, 12,800 pills of tramadol 250m transported by Salisu Basiru, 33 to Shuwarin in Jigawa state was recovered.
In another crackdown operation, about 65 parcels of Colorado, a strong synthetic strain of cannabis with a total weight of 1.600kg heading to Jigawa state were recovered from 32-year-old Rufai Hassan.
The nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) continues to spread across schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities located in various states.
Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa commended the gallant officers for their efforts in combating drug trafficking across the nation.
