By Deborah Nnamdi
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of cocaine and tramadol concealed in 71 vehicle side mirrors at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The shipment, destined for Libreville, Gabon, was uncovered at the airport’s export shed.
In a statement released on Sunday, August 3rd, by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, it was revealed that at least three suspects connected to the consignment have been arrested in follow-up operations. The first batch of the intercepted drugs, discovered on Saturday, July 19th, included 57,420 pills of tramadol 225mg and 57 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.6 kilograms. A cargo agent, Ihekweme Osinachi Benedict, who was handling the shipment via Air Côte d’Ivoire, was arrested immediately. Further investigation led to the arrest of another suspect, Uzochukwu Godspower Chukwurah, on Sunday, July 20th. On Monday, July 21st, officers recovered an additional 11 parcels of cocaine weighing 1 kilogram from four side mirrors found at Uzochukwu’s residence, bringing the total cocaine seizure to 68 parcels weighing 2.6 kilograms.
In a related development, a businesswoman, Mrs. Nwafor Roseann Nneka, was arrested on Friday, August 1st, at her shop in the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos. She was linked to a shipment of 100 grams of cocaine and 300 grams of phenacetine, a cutting agent, concealed in ladies’ lipsticks and intercepted on July 10th. The consignment was bound for Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. Two cargo agents had earlier been apprehended in connection with the shipment. Mrs. Nwafor confessed that she purchased the lipsticks used for concealment while her husband, Remigus Nwafor—currently on the run—was responsible for packing the drugs.
In Abuja, three dispatch riders—Sabo Sule, 24; Samuel Nnamdi, 28; and Idris Jibrin, 28—were arrested on July 30th during intelligence-led stop-and-search operations across Gwarimpa, Jahi, and Galadimawa. A total of 149.8 grams of “Canadian Loud,” a potent cannabis strain, was recovered from them. On Saturday, August 2nd, two suspects, Aliyu Abubakar, 25, and Adekunle Agbabiaka, 30, were arrested along the Abaji-Gwagwalada expressway with 91.1 kilograms of skunk.
Elsewhere in Lagos, Joseph Michael was arrested on Saturday, August 2nd, in Mushin with 3.3 kilograms of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis strain, while Ibrahim Sulaiman was apprehended in the Iwaya area of Yaba on Friday, August 1st, with 16.5 litres of a drug-laced cocktail known as skunk. On the same day in Benue State, NDLEA officers seized 100,000 tramadol capsules from a suspect, Hussein Yusuf, 37, at a checkpoint along the Vandeikya-Ogoja road. That same day in Edo State, a raid on a warehouse in Ekpoma led to the arrest of William Alabi, 44, and the recovery of 233.5 kilograms of skunk.
At the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport in Maiduguri, Borno State, a 38-year-old passenger, Umar Aminu, was arrested on Friday, August 1st, after being found with 160 tramadol pills concealed in footwear. In Ogun State, Yahaya Aminat Seyi was arrested in the Oja Odan area with 7,218 pills of opioids, mainly tramadol, while in Oyo State, operatives arrested Oladeji Saka, 54, with 77.5 kilograms of skunk in the Asanike area of Ibadan.
In Delta State, Benson Izah, 40, was caught in Abraka with 12.5 kilograms of skunk, 1 kilogram of tramadol, and 14.4 litres of codeine. In Bayelsa State, NDLEA officers arrested Chief Emeka Opara, 52, and Onuoha Chidinma, 25, along Tantua Road, Amassoma. A total of 41,705 tramadol capsules and other opioids were recovered from their shop and residence. In Kano State, a suspect, Bashir Gambo, 30, was apprehended in Yar Yasa town, Tudun Wada Local Government Area, with 61 kilograms of skunk.
On Monday, July 28th, in Ile-Ogbo, Iwo town, Osun State, NDLEA operatives arrested Kabiru Ayinde, 40, and Roqeeb Adekanmbi, 25. Recovered from them were 90 kilograms of skunk, 36.3 grams of methamphetamine, a Toyota bus with registration number SMK 755 YF, and N228,200 in cash.
