Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have arrested an ex-convict, Onyeka Charles Madukolu at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, for importing 5.90 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in cans of deodorants and ladies’ lip gloss into Nigeria.
Madukolu, who was sentenced to seven years imprisonment in Ethiopia for drug trafficking offences was released from prison in 2020, and arrested on Friday, September 16 at the Lagos airport on his return from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement yesterday, said a search of his luggage revealed he had concealed 5.90kg cocaine inside cans of deodorants and female lip gloss.
According to Babafemi, during a preliminary interview, Onyeka claimed to have gone into drug business to raise fresh capital to start a legitimate business after his release from Ethiopian prison in 2020.
The father of two kids, one each from a Nigerian woman and Brazilian lady, said he was into the motor spare parts business before going into the criminal trade.
The 44-year-old indigene of Anambra State said he was expecting to be paid N2 million on successful delivery of the illicit drug in Nigeria.
In the same vein, NDLEA’s operatives on Tuesday, September 13, intercepted another trafficker, Chukwu Kingsley, on his way to Rome, Italy on an Asky Airline flight.
A search of his luggage showed that the 49-year-old suspect and a known haulage agent had concealed among food condiments 11,460 tablets of tramadol 225mg with a gross weight of 5.7kg and 39 bottles of codeine syrup.
Also at the Lagos airport, a freight agent, Lawal Adeyemi was arrested same day for attempting to export some sachets of lexotan among other non-controlled drugs to Liberia, while operatives seized 593.90 kilogrammes of khat leaf at the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) import shed of the airport on Thursday, September 15, after a joint examination of the cargo by a combined team of security agencies.
A notable producer of a new psychoactive substance, popularly called Akuskura, Qasim Ademola, has also been arrested by anti-narcotic officers who intercepted 26, 600 bottles of the illicit substance meant for distribution across Northern states. The consignment was seized on Thursday, September 15, along Zaria-Kano road, Gadar Tamburawa, Kano, while the 39-year-old proprietor from Akinyele Local Council, Oyo State and three of his distributors were arrested in follow up operations.
In Kogi State, operatives on patrol along Okene-Abuja expressway on Saturday, September 17, intercepted a J5 vehicle coming from Onitsha enroute Kaduna-Zaria with 18 pieces of pump action rifles and 1,300 cartridges, while the two suspects conveying the arms and ammunition, Chukwudi Aronu, 51 and Shuaibu Gambo, 23 were arrested.
Another suspect, Anthony Agada, 37, conveying 1,000 cartridges, was equally nabbed in a bus coming from Onitsha to Abuja same day, while 1,404 bottles of codeine syrup and 2,040 ampoules of pentazocine injection were seized from another vehicle coming from Onitsha enroute Sokoto, with the receiver, Stanley Raymond, 39 and the sender, Shadrack Ifediora, 46, arrested in follow up operations in Sokoto and Anambra respectively.
In Kaduna State, a drug dealer, Mohammed Mustapha Dalhatu a.k.a Dawa, was arrested at Sabon Gari Zaria with eight bags of cannabis sativa weighing 67kg, and another, Maikudi Hassan, arrested at Gubuci village of Ikara Local Council with five bags of cannabis weighing 54.2kg.
On Thursday, September 15, operatives also arrested Mary Ugwu and Hawwa Idi, at Anchau town, Kubau Local Council with 721 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 37,000 tablets of exol-5 and nine ampoules of diazepam injection as well as 6.8kg of rubber solution.
In Edo State, operatives recovered 285kg of cannabis in two raids at Okpuje, Owan West Local Council on Friday, September 16, while in Lagos, 972.5kg of the same substance was recovered from an electronic shop at Alaba Int’l market and one of the suspects, Mrs. Ebere Aja, 38, arrested.
About 335.1kg of cannabis was also seized in a raid at Kwanar Kundum area of Bauchi town, with two suspects: Usman Garba and Najib Ibrahim, arrested.
While directing the Kogi State Command to immediately hand over the arms and ammunition seized to the police for further investigation, Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the Command as well as their counterparts in MMIA, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Lagos, and Bauchi, for their vigilance and resilience.
He charged them and others across the country to remain focused as they daily discharge their responsibilities.
