By Nkechi Eze
Barely two weeks after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport for ingesting 65 pellets of cocaine bound for Iran, another similar arrest has been recorded at Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA). A 44-year-old businessman, Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian, was apprehended on Saturday, June 7 while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Tehran, Iran via Doha. A body scan revealed that he had ingested illicit drugs, prompting officials to place him under excretion observation. Over the course of six excretions, Ezemokwe expelled 53 wraps of cocaine weighing a total of 1.172 kilograms. He later confessed to engaging in the drug trade two years ago, operating between West Africa and Iran.
Femi BabaFemi the agency’s spokesperson in an official signed statement disclosed that in a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, NDLEA operatives in collaboration with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) intercepted Edobor Ambrose Ali, an Italy-bound passenger on an Air France flight. A scan of his luggage at the tarmac raised suspicion, leading to a search that uncovered 14,410 pills of tramadol (225mg and 200mg) concealed inside winter jackets. Ali, who resides in Italy, admitted he was paid €2,000 for the trip to courier the drugs to Milan.
Meanwhile, operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State, intercepted a massive shipment of codeine-based syrup. The illicit consignment, containing 157,800 bottles worth over N1.1 billion in street value, was discovered during a joint examination of a watch-listed container. The opioids were hidden behind 257 cartons of ceramic sanitary wares.
In Cross River State, a warehouse located in Obereakai, Odukpani Local Government Area was raided on Thursday, June 12. Three suspects Friday Achibong Joseph (47), Abraham Anthony Willy (21), and Utibe David Okon (24) were arrested, and a total of 2,687 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, was recovered.
Also on June 12, NDLEA operatives in Bauchi State intercepted 195 blocks of skunk weighing 287 kilograms along the Bauchi-Jos Road. The drugs were hidden inside a Toyota Camry, and two suspects, Iriemi Imonikhe (49) and Sa’idu Ladan (30), were arrested in connection with the crime.
Further efforts by the Marine Command of NDLEA led to the recovery of 560 kilograms of skunk packed in 14 jumbo sacks from a wooden boat at Oniru Beach, Lagos. That same day, at the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport in Maiduguri, two businessmen, Ishaku Abdullahi (30) and Buba Usman (32), were arrested at the domestic arrival hall with quantities of ecstasy pills and skunk concealed in fanciful packaging labelled ‘Lychee’ and ‘Porro Legal’.
Beyond enforcement, NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign continued across the country. Officers carried out sensitization lectures in schools including Command Secondary School in Orba, Enugu; Divine Gift International School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Baptist Primary School in Ago-Are, Oyo; and St. Vincent Secondary School in Okobo, Akwa Ibom State.
Commending the achievements of officers from MMIA, PHIA, MBIAM, PHPC, Marine, Cross River, and Bauchi Commands, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), applauded their dedication. He emphasized the agency’s commitment to maintaining a balanced approach between drug supply reduction and demand reduction strategies.
