Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 62-year-old Lagos-based businessman for attempting to smuggle cocaine to China through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
The arrest was confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja, Femi Babafemi.
According to the agency, the suspect was apprehended on Saturday during the outward clearance of passengers travelling to China via Addis Ababa aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940. A body scan conducted by NDLEA officers revealed the presence of illicit substances in his system, after which he was placed under medical observation.
While under observation, the suspect expelled a total of 95 jumbo-sized wraps of cocaine in seven separate excretions. The drugs were said to weigh approximately 1.589 kilograms.
During interrogation, the suspect disclosed that he is engaged in the clothing and auto spare parts business in Lagos. He reportedly told investigators that he resorted to drug trafficking in a bid to raise funds to complete a residential building he is constructing in his hometown of Iwollo, Enugu State.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA also recorded several major arrests and seizures in separate operations across the country.
In the Federal Capital Territory, operatives recovered 627.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, from a makeshift warehouse located within Fums Plaza, Kubwa.
In another operation, officers foiled an attempt to smuggle methamphetamine concealed in MP3 speakers from Enugu to Abuja and Kaduna. The consignments were intercepted on Friday, February 6, in a commercial bus. A follow-up operation in Zuba, FCT, led to the arrest of Ebube Okeke, the owner of one of the parcels containing 173 grams of methamphetamine. Additional suspects — Evans Ugwu, Mohammed Eze Arinze, and Friday Michael — were arrested in Kaduna on Saturday, February 7, while attempting to collect a second consignment weighing 28 grams.
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 32-year-old suspect, Yusuf Abubakar, at the Dan-Anacha patrol point in Gassol Local Government Area. He was found conveying packs of Hollandia yoghurt from Lagos to Mubi, Adamawa State, some of which were used to conceal 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine.
In Oyo State, a 29-year-old Beninoise national, Shuaibu Abdulrahman, was arrested at Ibudo-Igboho village, Sooro Kishi, with 149.6 kilograms of skunk concealed in rice shafts. In a separate operation in Ibadan, Adeniyi Adeola, also known as Prince, was arrested at Agbeni Market with 10,820 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 117,820 capsules of tramadol recovered from his vehicle.
Also in Ibadan, a suspected drug kingpin, Jimoh Nurudeen, 40, was arrested alongside his accomplice, Ogundipe Yusuf, 27, at the Badeku area. Items recovered included precursor chemicals, quantities of skunk, drug production equipment, ₦7.4 million in cash, and two vehicles.
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a fuel tanker transporting petrol from Lagos to Maiduguri and recovered 395,400 capsules of tramadol concealed within the truck. The driver was taken into custody.
In Imo State, a couple — Izuchukwu Azubuike, 37, and Ifunaya Mmadueke, 32 — were arrested in Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area, with 203 kilograms of skunk.
Officers in Ondo State recovered 420 kilograms of skunk from a bush at Ikun Akoko, while in Lagos State, operatives of the NDLEA Marine Command seized 31 wraps of cocaine concealed in a handbag from a suspect who arrived by boat from Côte d’Ivoire at Yekeme, Badagry.
Additional arrests were made in Lagos and Enugu states, with various quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, skunk, tramadol, and other illicit substances recovered, alongside cash.
The NDLEA reiterated its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks across the country and called on members of the public to continue supporting the agency with timely and credible information.
