Agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency stopped a 40-year-old businessman, Ejike Chibuke Solomon, with 1.45 kilograms of cocaine hidden in his luggage while trying to board an Ethiopia Airlines flight
The flight, numbered 950, was going to Vietnam via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Ejike was arrested at the Abuja airport on Saturday after NDLEA officers searched him thoroughly, and found the illegal substance concealed in his bag.
This was revealed on Sunday in a press release signed by NDLEA’s Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The statement pointed out that the suspect said he was on a business trip to Vietnam.
Meanwhile, agents of a special unit of the Agency on Friday descended on members of a group that traffics in methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin in their hiding places in parts of Lagos. The agents assigned for the operation raided the home of Esimone Amachukwu Christopher at 14 Arochukwu Street, Ejigbo, where 10.012 kilograms of methamphetamine was found in the possession of his associate, 40-year-old Evelyn Nneka Okem.
Esimone, however, is currently on the run.
“While the Ejigbo operation was ongoing, another set of officers were simultaneously busy in the residence of another member of the group, 45-year-old Ebele Edwin Iwuegbunam, located at Plot 1604 Close D, 4th Avenue, Festac town, Lagos, where they arrested him and seized 429.5grams of cocaine and 7 kilograms of heroin.
“In Kogi state, NDLEA officers on a stop and search operation along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway on Friday intercepted a commercial bus marked GRM 347XA (Borno) carrying 28 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 11kg; 100 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup and 500 tablets of diazepam, all hidden in three plastic drums covered with cattle fats, heading to Jos Plateau state.
“While operatives in Ogun state on Thursday recovered 169kg shipment of cannabis abandoned in a truck at Sagamu tollgate, their counterparts in Lagos seized 25 cartons of tramadol containing 325,000 pills in Ikeja the previous day Wednesday 28th Feb. Same day, a suspect, Abdullahi Garba Khalil, 42, and 2,745,000 capsules of pregabalin recovered from him at Singer market, Sabon Gari area of Kano were handed over to the Kano state command of NDLEA by the Department of State Security.
“Likewise, the 243 Recce Battalion, Nigerian Army, Badagry on Saturday transferred 27 sacks of cannabis sativa weighing 1,110kg found at a coastal community, Ajido by soldiers, to the Seme Special Area Command of NDLEA.”
The NDLEA also stated that a 34-year-old suspect, Hassan Muhammad, was also arrested on Saturday with 44,950 pills of tramadol in the Moranti area of Borno state by NDLEA operatives.
“In Abia state, NDLEA operatives on Thursday raided a drug joint at Cemetery Barracks, Aba, where Ifeanyi Uche, 37, was arrested with different quantities of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. Another raid was carried out at the abandoned Enyimba Hotel, Ogbor Hill, Aba, where illicit substances were seized and suspects arrested on Friday.
The agency's various commands nationwide continued the War Against Drug Abuse advocacy campaign last week with equal enthusiasm.
Some of the activities included WADA awareness lectures at Fobin Primary and Secondary School, Idiroko, Seme, Lagos; Army Barracks Grammar School, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo state; State Model Secondary School, Awka, Anambra state; Government Girls Secondary School, Okumgba-Ama, Ogoloma, Okrika, Rivers state; and Lapan community, Gombe state, among others.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), praised the officers and men of the NAIA, Abia, Ogun, Kogi, Lagos, Seme, Borno, and Kano Commands, as well as those of the Special Unit for their outstanding performance last week, and also commended their counterparts in all the commands nationwide for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures.