By Deborah Nnamdi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 50-year-old widow and fashion designer, Mrs. Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, for attempting to smuggle 1.3 kilograms of cocaine disguised as a pregnancy bump.
According to a statement released Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, the suspect was apprehended on Friday, August 22 at a bus terminal in the Jibowu area of Lagos while en route to deliver the illicit substance to clients in Abuja.
Ezewuike, a mother of one and owner of Golden Star Creation, a fashion business located along Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, allegedly used a prosthetic baby bump to conceal the drugs. A follow-up search at her residence yielded 200 grams of a cocaine cutting agent.
In her statement to authorities, Ezewuike reportedly claimed she inherited the drug trafficking operation from her late husband, who passed away two years ago. She also said she had run her fashion business for two decades.
In related operations, NDLEA officers made significant seizures across multiple states.
On August 19, operatives intercepted 90 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 48.6kg in Lagos. The consignment, smuggled from the U.S., was concealed in three cartons of kitchen sinks at a courier company.
A raid on the home of a notorious dealer, Idris Garba, in Yola South, Adamawa State led to the arrest of his associate, Boniface Nnaji, 55, who was caught attempting to flee. A black Toyota Tundra and a Toyota Yaris loaded with 354,480 pills of tramadol were seized.
In Kogi, Neche Okonkwo was arrested on August 20 at Idah waterside with 5,000 tramadol capsules, 400 ampoules of pentazocine, and 200 ampoules of diazepam after crossing from Onitsha, Anambra State. NDLEA arrested two suspects, Buhari Ibrahim (25) and Mansur Musa (24), with 5,850 pregabalin capsules in Kano on August 19. That same day, operatives recovered over 452,000 pills of opioids and 140 litres of codeine syrup in separate arrests.
A series of busts in Kwara State led to the seizure of 2,289.49kg of skunk across the Ajase-Ipo area. Three trucks were intercepted and five suspects arrested, including Kabiru Abdullahi, Paul Olaniran, Abubakar Zaki, and Yau Babangida.
In Ekiti, two suspects, Awe Sunday (50) and Ayodele Adedayo (54), were arrested at Alafia Quarters, Ikere-Ekiti in connection with 96kg of skunk. NDLEA and Civil Defence Corps destroyed 7,500kg of skunk across three hectares in Bali LGA, Taraba State on August 20.
In Edo, a 54-year-old woman, Fodo Stella Sunday, was arrested after 901kg of skunk was recovered from a warehouse in Owan West LGA. Another 14,233.37kg was destroyed on four plantations in Ebule forest on August 20. In Ndokwa West LGA of Delta State, a joint operation with the military led to the destruction of 25,500kg of skunk across four farms.
In Ondo, NDLEA destroyed 25,025kg of skunk on three farms at Asolo camp, Uso. In Abuja, two dispatch riders, Garba Sule (29) and Isaac Augustine (35), were arrested during a stop-and-search operation on August 21 with pentazocine injections and skunk respectively. Additionally in Kano, on August 23, Adamu Yusuf (29) was arrested along the Zaria-Kano road with 7,000 capsules of tramadol.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the dedication and professionalism of officers across all involved states.
“These arrests and seizures are a testament to the agency’s commitment to disrupting drug trafficking networks and safeguarding public health. I commend our officers for their vigilance and resilience,” Marwa said.
He urged NDLEA personnel nationwide to continue the balanced approach of enforcement, treatment, and prevention in the agency’s fight against drug abuse and trafficking.NDLEA nabs widow using fake pregnancy to traffic cocaine, seizes over 68,000kg of drugs nationwide
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 50-year-old widow and fashion designer, Mrs. Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, for attempting to smuggle 1.3 kilograms of cocaine disguised as a pregnancy bump.
According to a statement released Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, the suspect was apprehended on Friday, August 22 at a bus terminal in the Jibowu area of Lagos while en route to deliver the illicit substance to clients in Abuja.
Ezewuike, a mother of one and owner of Golden Star Creation, a fashion business located along Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, allegedly used a prosthetic baby bump to conceal the drugs. A follow-up search at her residence yielded 200 grams of a cocaine cutting agent.
In her statement to authorities, Ezewuike reportedly claimed she inherited the drug trafficking operation from her late husband, who passed away two years ago. She also said she had run her fashion business for two decades.
In related operations, NDLEA officers made significant seizures across multiple states.
On August 19, operatives intercepted 90 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 48.6kg in Lagos. The consignment, smuggled from the U.S., was concealed in three cartons of kitchen sinks at a courier company.
A raid on the home of a notorious dealer, Idris Garba, in Yola South, Adamawa State led to the arrest of his associate, Boniface Nnaji, 55, who was caught attempting to flee. A black Toyota Tundra and a Toyota Yaris loaded with 354,480 pills of tramadol were seized.
In Kogi, Neche Okonkwo was arrested on August 20 at Idah waterside with 5,000 tramadol capsules, 400 ampoules of pentazocine, and 200 ampoules of diazepam after crossing from Onitsha, Anambra State. NDLEA arrested two suspects, Buhari Ibrahim (25) and Mansur Musa (24), with 5,850 pregabalin capsules in Kano on August 19. That same day, operatives recovered over 452,000 pills of opioids and 140 litres of codeine syrup in separate arrests.
A series of busts in Kwara State led to the seizure of 2,289.49kg of skunk across the Ajase-Ipo area. Three trucks were intercepted and five suspects arrested, including Kabiru Abdullahi, Paul Olaniran, Abubakar Zaki, and Yau Babangida.
In Ekiti, two suspects, Awe Sunday (50) and Ayodele Adedayo (54), were arrested at Alafia Quarters, Ikere-Ekiti in connection with 96kg of skunk. NDLEA and Civil Defence Corps destroyed 7,500kg of skunk across three hectares in Bali LGA, Taraba State on August 20.
In Edo, a 54-year-old woman, Fodo Stella Sunday, was arrested after 901kg of skunk was recovered from a warehouse in Owan West LGA. Another 14,233.37kg was destroyed on four plantations in Ebule forest on August 20. In Ndokwa West LGA of Delta State, a joint operation with the military led to the destruction of 25,500kg of skunk across four farms.
In Ondo, NDLEA destroyed 25,025kg of skunk on three farms at Asolo camp, Uso. In Abuja, two dispatch riders, Garba Sule (29) and Isaac Augustine (35), were arrested during a stop-and-search operation on August 21 with pentazocine injections and skunk respectively. Additionally in Kano, on August 23, Adamu Yusuf (29) was arrested along the Zaria-Kano road with 7,000 capsules of tramadol.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the dedication and professionalism of officers across all involved states.
“These arrests and seizures are a testament to the agency’s commitment to disrupting drug trafficking networks and safeguarding public health. I commend our officers for their vigilance and resilience,” Marwa said.
He urged NDLEA personnel nationwide to continue the balanced approach of enforcement, treatment, and prevention in the agency’s fight against drug abuse and trafficking.
