The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 48-year-old Lagos-based marble businessman, Nwankwo Innocent Onyebuchi, who reportedly sold off his business and other assets to raise ₦23 million for a cocaine deal.
Nwankwo was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal II of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to New Delhi, India, with 1.550 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed within the side walls and railings of his check-in bag.
According to the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, the suspect confessed that he had liquidated his marble business and other assets to finance the consignment, which he expected to sell in India for as much as ₦100 million.
The suspect said he paid ₦23 million for the cocaine consignment, hoping to make a huge profit from its sale in India.
With the arrest, Nwankwo remains in NDLEA custody and is expected to face prosecution.
In another operation in Kwara State, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects, Abubakar Adamu, 50, and Bilyaminu Nuhu, 30, at Kam Wire area of Ilorin on Thursday, August 13, and recovered 55.96kg of skunk from a truck marked DKA 350 XL.
Similarly, two suspects, 70-year-old Abdulfatai Oyelaran and 50-year-old Abdulrauf Ajadi, were arrested along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, August 12.
The suspects were intercepted in a Toyota Sienna marked FFA-115KA, from which 52,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection were recovered.
In Plateau State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Corolla marked MKD 341 EA along the Riyom-Jos Road, recovering 239,490 capsules of Tramaforce, a brand of tramadol, and arrested a suspect, Kasum Sherif.
In Kano State, six suspects — Okodili Ibeabuchi, 60; Onyeka Vincent, 47; Nwanko Wisdom, 36; Success Chigozie, 30; Emmanuel Jude, 27; and Chinedu Peter, 39 — were arrested on Monday, August 10, during a patrol along the Zaria-Kano Road.
Recovered from the suspects were 728,958 pills of tramadol, Rohypnol and other opioids, alongside 360 grammes of cocaine, 99.8 grammes of methamphetamine, 50 bottles of codeine-based syrup and 2.7kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
Also in Kano, NDLEA operatives raided Zawaciki Gida Dubu in Kumbotso Local Government Area on Friday, August 14, recovering 171 blocks of skunk weighing 106.8kg.
Two suspects, Mustapha Iliya, 30, and Abdulwahab Abdulrashid, 24, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
The agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy activities across the country, including sensitisation lectures for students and staff of Madarasatu Sheikh Muhammad Rabi’u Arabic School, Kano, and Olomu Junior Secondary School, Ajah, Lagos State, among others.
Babafemi said the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers and personnel for the arrests and seizures recorded during the week.
Marwa also praised personnel across all NDLEA commands for maintaining what he described as a fair balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.
