In a recent operation, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) apprehended a 67-year-old individual, identified as Chukwuemeka Clement, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja. Mr. Clement was arrested for ingesting 100 wraps of cocaine, an illegal activity he confessed to engaging in with the aim of amassing sufficient funds to start a new life and marry a new spouse after spending three decades abroad in Brazil, Ethiopia, and Thailand.
Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, Femi Babafemi, reported that Chukwuemeka Clement was taken into custody on Tuesday, October 3rd, upon arriving on Ethiopian Airlines flight 951 from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A body scan revealed multiple drug pellets concealed in his stomach. Subsequently, he excreted a total of 100 cocaine wraps, weighing approximately 2.195 kilograms, during his observation.
In his statement, Chukwuemeka Clement disclosed his 30-year history of residing in Brazil, Ethiopia, and Thailand. He also mentioned his past marriage and subsequent loss of his spouse without having any children. Consequently, he resorted to drug trafficking as a means to accumulate the necessary resources for a fresh start and a new marriage.
In a separate incident on the same day, NDLEA operatives at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano intercepted a 45-year-old woman, Bilkisu Mohammed Bello, who was preparing to board a Saudia Airlines flight to Saudi Arabia. During questioning, Bello confessed to carrying pellets of cocaine within her body and disclosed their storage location in a house in the Farawa area of Kano. As a result, NDLEA officers retrieved 52 wraps of illicit substance, totaling 767 grams.
Furthermore, on Tuesday, October 3rd, NDLEA operatives, supported by Nigerian Army personnel, Civil Defence Corps members, and Amotekun personnel, executed an operation in James town, Ogunmakin, Obafemi Owode local government area of Ogun state. In this operation, they discovered and destroyed 10.38 tonnes of cannabis sativa spanning over 4.152 hectares. During their return journey, the team intercepted a truck with registration number FS548XN carrying a 40ft container laden with logs of wood. A search of the container resulted in the discovery of two bags of cannabis sativa weighing 20 kilograms. Six suspects were subsequently arrested.
In another operation on Sunday, October 1st, NDLEA operatives raided Obi camp in Owan West LGA, Edo state, uncovering 30 sacks of skunk weighing 300 kilograms, concealed within charcoal inside an old, dilapidated mud house. Additionally, two cannabis farms, measuring 1.179065 hectares, were identified and demolished at Igbanke forest in Orhiowon local government area of Edo state on Friday, October 6th. Four suspects were apprehended in connection with this operation.
In Gombe state, a suspect named Auwal Bindow was arrested on Friday, October 6th, along the Bauchi-Gombe road with 50,000 capsules of tramadol. Meanwhile, in Oyo state, NDLEA operatives conducting patrols along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway apprehended Anuoluwapo Blessing Iyanu, 32, with 52 blocks of compressed pawpaw-shaped cannabis sativa weighing 30 kilograms on Wednesday, October 4th.
Throughout the past week, NDLEA commands across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign. This included WADA sensitization lectures for students and teachers at various schools in Osun, Benue, Oyo, and Anambra states.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the exceptional efforts of the officers and personnel of the NAIA, MAKIA, Ogun, Oyo, Edo, and Gombe Commands for their remarkable achievements. He also praised all NDLEA commands nationwide for their unwavering commitment to intensify WADA advocacy lectures, thereby maintaining a crucial balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.
