The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its efforts in the fight against drug trafficking with a series of high-profile arrests, including a businessman caught with 68 wraps of cocaine, and also intercepted over N2.2 billion worth of codeine at Lagos port.
Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Sunday, 25th August 20,24, in a statement, en t, said one of the susp, Ibeanusi Nosike, a 36-year-old businessman from Onitsha, Anambra state, was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on August 8, 2024.
Femi said following his arrest, he was placed under surveillance and, over the next 12 days, excreted the drug-filled wrap totaling ing 1.282 kilograms.
According to him, days later, precisely on August 12, another Vietnam-bound businessman, Paul Mbadugha, 54, was also intercepted at Abuja airport while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Hanoi.
He stresses that the suspect, Mbadugha had also ingested cocaine, 88 wraps weighing 1.710 kilograms, which he excreted over four days under NDLEA observation.
Femi revealed that the agency had thwarted another drug smuggling attempt involving cannabis destined for Dubai.
NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport uncovered a shipment of 1.20kg of cannabis hidden in a consignment sent through a courier company in Onitsha.The businessman behind the operation, Aligbo Jacob, was arrested after a series of follow-up investigations.
The crackdown doesn’t end there. In a separate sting operation, five female drug traffickers were arrested at the Seme border, returning from Ghana.
Led by 42-year-old Olaribigbe Feyisara, the group was caught with 14 packs of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, hidden on their bodies.Further investigations at the Tincan seaport in Lagos revealed the interception of two containers originating from India, carrying 319,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup, valued at over N2.2 billion.The containers were seized during a joint examination conducted with other port authorities.In Edo state, two women, Martha Owotorofa, 26, and Odion Uzordinma, 21, were arrested for selling drug-laced cookies and cakes online.
Owotorofa was caught with quantities of Canadian Loud at Kada Plaza, while Uzordinma had 30 cups of drug-laced cookies and 17 slices of cake in her possession.A separate raid in Oghada village led to the arrest of 50-year-old Saturday Edobor, who was caught with 288.8kg of cannabis.The NDLEA’s offensive against drug trafficking has also expanded to Lagos, Kogi, and Oyo states. In Mushin, Lagos, Godwill Davidson was arrested with over 3,800 bottles of codeine syrup and thousands of illicit pills.
Yahaya Ibrahim, 23, was caught with 42,000 tramadol pills on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway in Kogi state.In Ibadan, two suspects, Feranmi Bankole, and Fredrick Tobiloba, were apprehended with over 267 litres of a black currant and drug mixture known as “sketches.” In addition to these busts, the NDLEA continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting awareness programs in schools, workplaces, and communities across Nigeria.To strengthen commitment, the NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), applauded the officers for their efforts and urged them to remain vigilant, emphasizing the importance of a balanced approach in combating drug abuse and trafficking across the nation.