The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested several suspects and intercepted quantities of illicit drugs, including cocaine, tramadol, codeine syrup, ecstasy pills, and cannabis, in multiple states across Nigeria.
In a statement signed by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy for the agency, NDLEA said its operatives at Port Harcourt International Airport arrested a 44-year-old businessman, Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian, who ingested 53 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.172 kilograms.
“Ezemokwe was arrested at the Port Harcourt airport on Saturday 7th June while trying to board Qatar Airways flight QR1434 flying to Tehran Khomeini in Iran via Doha,” Babafemi said. “After a body scan proved positive to ingestion of illicit drug, he was placed on excretion observation during which he expelled 53 wraps of cocaine in six excretions.”
The suspect confessed to being involved in the drug trade for the past two years, frequently traveling between West Africa and Iran.
Two weeks earlier, NDLEA officers at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) intercepted a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, heading to Iran with 65 pellets of cocaine in his stomach.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, the agency arrested Edobor Ambrose Ali, an Italy-bound passenger, who attempted to smuggle tramadol concealed in winter jackets. A total of 14,410 pills of tramadol (225mg and 200mg) were found in his luggage.
“In his statement, Edobor said he lives in Italy where he was hired and sent on an all-expense-paid trip to Nigeria to courier the drug consignments to Milan, Italy for a fee of 2,000 Euros,” Babafemi added.
At Port Harcourt Ports in Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a shipment of 157,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup during a joint inspection with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies. The drugs were concealed behind cartons of ceramic sanitary wares.
A raid on a warehouse in Obereakai, Odukpani LGA of Cross River State led to the arrest of three suspects—Friday Achibong Joseph (47), Abraham Anthony Willy (21), and Utibe David Okon (24)—with a total of 2,687kg of cannabis.
In Bauchi, Iriemi Imonikhe (49) and Sa’idu Ladan (30) were arrested along the Bauchi-Jos road with 287kg of cannabis hidden in a Toyota Camry.
In Lagos, 560kg of cannabis was seized from a wooden boat at Oniru beach. At the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport in Maiduguri, two businessmen, Ishaku Abdullahi (30) and Buba Usman (32), were caught with ecstasy pills and cannabis disguised in packages labelled ‘Lychee’ and ‘Porro Legal’.
The NDLEA also held lectures in schools under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, including institutions in Enugu, Ebonyi, Oyo, and Akwa Ibom.
The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), acknowledged the officers involved in the operations.
“He praised their compatriots in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts,” Babafemi stated.