365NEWS reports that Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an Onitsha-based businessman, Ibeanusi Solomon Nosike, after he excreted 68 wraps of cocaine during a 12-day observation following his arrest at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to an NDLEA statement, the 36-year-old Ibeanusi was apprehended in the early hours of Thursday, August 8, 2024, at the old domestic terminal of the Lagos airport.
He was attempting to board the first flight to Abuja, where he was scheduled to connect with a Qatar Airways flight to Vietnam later that day at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
Ibeanusi had arrived in Lagos from Onitsha the previous day, August 7, and checked into a hotel where he swallowed the 68 wraps of cocaine before heading to the airport for a 6:30 am flight. He was intercepted by NDLEA operatives and placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled the cocaine pellets weighing 1.282 kilograms over the next 12 days.
In a related case, another Vietnam-bound businessman, 54-year-old Paul Okwuy Mbadugha, was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Abuja airport on Monday, August 12, 2024, during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR 1432 to Hanoi, Vietnam, via Doha.
After four days under observation, Mbadugha excreted 88 wraps of cocaine with a total weight of 1.710 kilograms.
Additionally, NDLEA operatives arrested another Onitsha-based businessman, Aligbo Chukwudi Jacob, following the seizure of a consignment of 1.20 kg of cannabis concealed in a package bound for Dubai, UAE.
The shipment was intercepted at the MMIA export shed, and after a series of follow-up operations, Aligbo was apprehended in Onitsha on Saturday, August 17.
Furthermore, on Wednesday, August 21, NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit arrested five female cross-border drug traffickers at the Seme border while they were returning to Lagos from Ghana.
The leader of the syndicate, 42-year-old Olaribigbe Bashirat Feyisara, who had been under NDLEA surveillance, was arrested along with her associates: Abogun Fatimah Ladidi, Osibeluwo Tolulope Oluwaseun, Akanni Balikis Oluwatoyin, and Ajetumobi Amudalat. A total of 14 packs of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis weighing 6.97 kg, were recovered from their bodies.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan seaport in Lagos intercepted two containers from Mundra port in India on Friday, August 23. The containers contained 1,596 cartons of codeine-based syrup, comprising 319,200 bottles, valued at ₦2.23 billion.
The seizure was made during a joint examination with other port stakeholders.
In Edo state, two women were arrested by NDLEA operatives for selling illicit drugs online. Martha Owotorofa, 26, was arrested at Kada Plaza in Benin City with quantities of Canadian Loud, while Odion Uzordinma, 21, was arrested in the Ugbowo area with 30 cups of cookies and 17 slices of cake, all laced with illegal substances.
Additionally, a raid in Oghada village, Uhunmwonde Local Government Area, led to the arrest of Saturday Edobor, 50, with 288.8 kg of cannabis.
In Lagos, Godwill Davidson was arrested on Wednesday, August 21, in Mushin with 3,834 bottles of codeine syrup, 5,200 Co-Codamol pills, and 11,880 tablets of Rohypnol. Meanwhile, another suspect, Yahaya Ibrahim, 23, was arrested on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway in Kogi State with 42,000 tramadol pills en route from Asaba, Delta State, to Potiskum, Yobe State.
In Oyo State, Feranmi Bankole, 25, and Fredrick Tobiloba, 25, were arrested on Tuesday, August 20, at Pariz Lounge in the Adeoyo area of Ibadan. They were found with 267.5 liters of “skuchies,” a mixture of black currant and assorted illicit drugs, along with 18 grams of Canadian Loud.
Across the country, NDLEA commands and formations continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization efforts, targeting schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities.
Recent activities included WADA enlightenment lectures at Dan Amus Sangaya School in Sabon Layi, Gombi, Adamawa State; transport companies in Garki, Enugu State; students and staff at Kaduna State School of Nursing; and a WADA advocacy visit to Chrisland University in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the Special Operations Units, MMIA, Tincan, Lagos, and Edo Commands for their efforts in arrests, seizures, and operations. He encouraged them to continue with the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
