The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Nigerian businessman based in Brazil, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
Onyekwere was apprehended on Thursday during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg, following actionable intelligence.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, the 47-year-old suspect was subjected to a full body scan, which confirmed the presence of illicit substances. A subsequent strip search led to the discovery of a large parcel of cocaine strapped to his right thigh, while two other wraps were found concealed in the soles of his footwear.
Babafemi said the three wraps, with a combined weight of 1.60 kilograms, tested positive for cocaine. During preliminary interrogation, the suspect admitted purchasing the drugs in Brazil with the intention of selling them in Nigeria to raise capital for his business and finance the naming ceremony of his newborn child. He disclosed that he has lived in São Paulo, Brazil, since 2008 and has operated a toy business for about nine years.
In a related development, NDLEA officers intercepted 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 1,183 kilograms, imported from Montreal, Canada. The seizure was made on Wednesday during a joint examination of a container by NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos. The illicit drugs were concealed inside a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix vehicle.
Meanwhile, in Niger State, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence intercepted a truck along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway in the early hours of Tuesday, January 26. Three suspects — Andy Chidogu, 49; Kenneth Ogene, 45; and Sadiq Olanrewaju, 27 — were arrested with 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735 kilograms and one kilogram of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, hidden in the truck.
Investigations revealed that the driver, Kenneth Ogene, had initially transported 800 bags of flour from Lagos to Ekpoma, Edo State, before agreeing to convey the illicit drugs to Abuja for N1.7 million.
In Edo State, NDLEA officers on Tuesday, January 27, arrested Shaibu Yusuf along the Auchi–Abuja Expressway while attempting to transport 66 bags of skunk, weighing 792 kilograms, concealed in charcoal sacks and bound for Katsina.
Also in Edo, operatives, with the support of the Nigerian Army, raided a cannabis farm at Ebora Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South-East Local Government Area on Wednesday, January 28. Over 4,063 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on 1.6 hectares of land were destroyed, while 328 kilograms of processed skunk and seeds were recovered. Four suspects — Jeremiah Nwodeh, 46; Chukwudi Pius, 33; Pius Ogaba, 46; and Onora Kwene, 35 — were arrested.
In Anambra State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a cement truck at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, on Wednesday, January 28. A search of the vehicle uncovered 345.2 kilograms of skunk concealed among bags of cement. One of the occupants, Abum Okeke, 42, was identified as the owner of the drugs.
Similarly, two suspects — Tunde Ogundele, 39, and Soji Elegbelye, 46 — were arrested on Monday, January 26, at Eleyewo community in Akure North, Ondo State, in connection with the seizure of 473 kilograms of skunk.
In Kano State, NDLEA officers arrested Abdullahi Usman, 45, on Murtala Mohammed Way on the same day with 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection.
Another suspect, Musa Shuaibu, 42, was arrested in Gaya on Tuesday, January 27, with 4,390 pills of tramadol.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Friday, January 30, arrested Oragwan Ekene at Okeyson Park, Alaba, with 15.5 kilograms of skunk en route to Onitsha, Anambra State. Additionally, 3.5 kilograms of the same substance were recovered from a sound system and cereal packs found in the luggage of Omang Peter Edward at the Seme border, Badagry, on Tuesday, January 27. The suspect was arriving from Cotonou, Benin Republic.
While applauding the officers and personnel of the MMIA, Tincan, Niger, Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Ondo and Kano Commands for their professionalism, arrests and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen.
Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged them and their counterparts nationwide to sustain the ongoing balanced strategy of drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction initiatives.