By Emma Njoku

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Ghanaian and two Nigerians  at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja (NAIAA) and Akanu Ibiam international Airport, Enugu, respectively, for trafficking a total of 9.953kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine.

Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi, who made the disclosure in a statement, yesterday, said one of the suspects, Uzoh Ndubuisi Johnson, was arrested last Wednesday, at about 5.30pm during an inward screening of Ethiopian Airlines passengers at the Arrival Hall of the airport. Uzoh, who arrived from Brazil via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was controlled and arrested with clothes impregnated with cocaine, which has a gross weight of 6.7 kilograms.

“While being interviewed by narcotic officers, Uzoh said he was given the consignment by his enabler based in Brazil, for which he would be paid N3 million upon successful delivery to someone in Nigeria.

In the same vein, another trafficker, 53-year-old Udeh Charley, was arrested on Friday, December 3, at the Enugu airport for ingesting 72 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.253kilograms. He was arrested during outward screening of Ethiopian Airlines passengers going to Rome, Italy, via Addis Ababa.

“In custody, he claimed he would have been paid €4,000 on successful delivery of the drugs in Italy, where he has been living for over 20 years. He attributed his decision to engage in the ignominious trade on the downward turn of his business as a result of COVID-19 pandemic,” Babafemi stated.

In a related development, another trafficker, 25-year-old John Kadja, whose father is from Kumasi, Ashanti region of Ghana, and mother from Nsukka,

Enugu State, was also arrested on Friday, December 3, with two kilograms of methamphetamine during an outward clearance of Qatar Airways from Abuja to Doha, at the departure screening area of the Abuja airport.

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The drug was concealed in a false bottom of his checked in luggage.

(Continued on www.sunnewsonline)

In Ondo state, 43-year-old Onuoha Friday was arrested on Friday, along Lagos-Benin expressway with one million capsules of tramadol, while in two major arrests in Anambra state, a total of 238.973kilograms of assorted illicit drugs were recovered.

NDLEA operatives also intercepted a Delta state bound truck loaded with various quantities of Codeine, tramadol, diazepam, and rohypnol, at the Onitsha head bridge, penultimate Friday. The driver of the vehicle, Obinna Obinwa, was arrested. Similarly, last Wednesday, another Delta bound truck  with different quantities of assorted illicit drugs was intercepted, while the driver, Lucky James, was also arrested.

Other raids in parts of Delta at the weekend led to the arrest of a 17-year-old Abdulkarim Shiabu and 23-year-old Lawal Saidu, both from Niger Republic and four others with different quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, tramadol and cannabis. Others arrested include: Precious Oghenegwoke; Loveth Omukoro; Uche Godwin and Uti Harrison.

In Kogi, Adam Salaudeen was arrested at Ogori Magongo area of the state with 214.7kg of cannabis sativa.

Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) commended the officers and men of the agency involved in the arrests and seizures and charged them and their compatriots across the country to remain vigilant and resolute in the collective mission to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs.