NDLEA arrests two Europe-bound couriers with 200 cocaine wraps in Abuja
Two Nigerian men based in Europe have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after they allegedly ingested 200 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.46 kilogrammes for trafficking to Paris, France.
The suspects, identified as Aliocus Godian Odife and Sam Blackborn, were intercepted on Wednesday, October 28, during the outward clearance of an Air France flight, AF 832, to Paris. According to the NDLEA, both men were subjected to body scans that confirmed the presence of foreign objects in their stomachs.
Odife, who reportedly lives in France and works in a factory, had arrived in Nigeria on October 21 for a short holiday. He allegedly admitted to ingesting 110 wraps of cocaine, which he subsequently excreted under observation. The wraps weighed 1.901 kilogrammes.
Similarly, Blackborn was found to have ingested 90 wraps of cocaine. He also excreted all the wraps under observation, with the drugs weighing 1.559 kilogrammes. The agency said both consignments tested positive for cocaine.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives intercepted a woman, Aisha Isah, along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 266 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition. In another operation along the Zaria-Kano Expressway, a 68-year-old man, Ifeanyi Egwolonwu, was arrested with thousands of drug-related substances, including 2,770 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 100 ampoules of diazepam injection, 11,000 diazepam tablets and 4,500 Exol-5 tablets.
The agency also reported major drug seizures in other states. In Lagos, operatives recovered 976 kilogrammes of skunk from two buses intercepted along Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, and the Gbagada-Oshodi Expressway. In Oyo, two suspects, Oguntona Nasiru, 46, and Soji Balogun, 47, were arrested while loading 554 kilogrammes of skunk into a truck at Idere Road, Igboora. In Kano, officers recovered large quantities of controlled drugs, including diazepam, Exol-5 and tramadol, during separate operations.
In Ondo, four suspects were arrested at cannabis farms in Ijare Forest, where 180 kilogrammes of processed cannabis were recovered. In Edo, a 1.646-hectare cannabis plantation in Eko Camp, Ilushi, was destroyed, while a woman, Christiana Uboi, 50, was arrested with 301 kilogrammes of processed cannabis. Another 176 kilogrammes were recovered during the operation. In Sokoto, a 68-year-old man, Ibrahim Ayuba, was arrested with 236.6 kilogrammes of skunk.
The NDLEA said its operations were part of ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks across the country. Its Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and warned drug traffickers against using foreign residence as a cover for illicit activities. He urged personnel to sustain enforcement efforts and continue public awareness campaigns under the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse initiative.
