NDLEA apprehends pregnant woman, fake soldier, others for drug trafficking

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a female passenger, Obehi Isesele, and one Emmanuel Omebere for trying to export illicit drugs to Europe through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

The NDLEA Director (Media and Advocacy), Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday, September 19, 2021, that Isesele conceived the illicit drug in crayfish and dried vegetables, while Chibuzor concealed his in foodstuff.

He said: “While Isesele was nabbed on Saturday, September 11, 2021, during outward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight at Gate B Departure Hall of the Lagos airport on her way to Milan, Italy with 312 sachets of Tramadol, weighing 1.5kg, concealed in crayfish and dried vegetables, Chibuzor was equally caught with 137.45 grams of the same drug concealed in foodstuff at the Abuja airport on Thursday, September 2 during outward clearance of Turkish Airline flight to Istanbul, Turkey”, the NDLEA Director (Media and Advocacy).

He added that efforts by desperate traffickers to export varying sizes of consignments containing cocaine, heroin, and other illicit drugs through courier firms were equally foiled.

“Some of these include 475grams of heroin concealed in food items going to Canada; 202grams of cocaine hidden in body cream containers going to Australia; 720grams of Cannabis Sativa tucked in computer hard drives heading to the United Arab Emirates, UAE and another 2.1kg of cannabis hidden in body cream bottles going to Oman, while 60grams of cocaine concealed in degree certificates meant for Australia was also seized, all from three courier firms in Lagos.

“Curiously, a 38-year-old pregnant woman, Kate Ngozi Nwuju was arrested on Tuesday, September 14 at her residence in Rumueme, Mile 4 area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State with 4.5kilograms of cannabis following intelligence that she sells drugs.

“Also, one Aliyu Saidu, suspected to be a fake soldier was arrested with 2.3kg of Cannabis Sativa in a commercial bus from Lagos to Makurdi, on Monday 13th of Sept at Aliade checkpoint, Benue State. In Kano, one Shuaibu Yusuf, was arrested on Friday, September 17 with 537kg of cannabis Sativa, concealed among bags of cement in a truck, while in Ogun state, five persons were arrested on Tuesday, September 14 after their truck conveying 552kg cannabis was intercepted at Ogere Remo, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway,” the statement noted.

Meanwhile, NDLEA narcotics officers on motorized patrol on Friday, September 17 arrested a 21-year-old Law Ubi at Marian Road, Calabar, Cross River state with 67.4 kg cannabis while a follow-up search on his residence the following day led to the recovery of 4.2grams of cocaine from his apartment.

The operatives in Edo State were said to have stormed remote forests in Ovia North East LGA between September 8 and 16 and destroyed over 14 hectares of cannabis farms and recovered 172.6kg of cannabis.

Four suspects, three female and a male, were also arrested in raids across Owan East and Akoko Edo areas of the state, while different quantities of cannabis and local mixtures called monkey tail were recovered from them.

The chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.), said their efforts “further reaffirm our determination that those in this criminal trade will always have the new NDLEA to contend with; whether in their homes, on the streets, at the ports and deep in the forests, we’ll chase them with every legitimate force and smoke them out, up to the last man or woman if they fail to repent.”

He commended the officers and men of the Lagos airport, Abuja airport, Benue, Kano, Ogun, Rivers, Cross River and Edo commands as well as those of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation of the agency for maintaining the heat on drug dealers.