Attempts by a female passenger, Obehi Isesele, and one Emmanuel Omebere to export illicit drugs to Europe through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, have been thwarted by narcotic officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The agency said the suspects were arrested before they boarded their flights.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said, “While Isesele was nabbed on Saturday, September 11, 2021, during outward clearance of an Ethiopian airline flight at Gate B, Departure Hall, of the Lagos airport on her way to Milan, Italy, with 312 sachets of Tramadol, weighing 1.5 kilogrammes, concealed in crayfish and dried vegetables, Omebere was caught with 137.45 grams of the same drug concealed in foodstuffs at the Abuja airport on Thursday, September 2, during outward clearance of a Turkish airline flight to Istanbul, Turkey.”
Meanwhile, efforts by traffickers to export varying sizes of consignments containing cocaine, heroin and other illicit drugs through courier firms were also reportedly foiled.
Babafemi said, “Some of these include 475g of heroin concealed in food items going to Canada; 202g of cocaine hidden in body cream containers going to Australia; 720g of Cannabis Sativa tucked in computer hard drives heading for the United Arab Emirates, and another 2.1kg of cannabis hidden in body cream bottles going to Oman, while 60g 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 4.5kg 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 September, 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 the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.”
The Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Marwa (retd.), commended the officers and men of the agency for maintaining the heat on drug dealers.
