Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two pregnant women at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos for attempting to import and export illicit drugs through the airport.
The spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said on Sunday in Abuja that on May 4, NDLEA operatives at the SAHCO export shed of the airport intercepted some cartons of alcoholic drinks suspected to contain illicit drugs.
A freight agent, Shola Ogunrinde, who brought the consignment for export to Dubai, UAE, was immediately arrested while a follow-up operation led to the arrest of a pregnant woman, Mrs Seun Babatunde, who operates an alcohol joint in the Pleasure area of Iyana Ipaja.
When the cartons were opened in the presence of the agent and the pregnant owner, seven parcels of cannabis and a sachet of ecstasy drug (MDMA) were found concealed inside cans of black bullet alcoholic drinks.
In her confession, Mrs Babatunde claimed the drugs were being sent to her husband who lives in Dubai.
Also, the second pregnant woman, Mrs Gloria Asibor, was arrested on Thursday 5th May while attempting to board a Turkish Airline flight to Bolonia, Spain via Istanbul, Turkey.
A search of her luggage containing food items led to the discovery of 300 tablets of 200mg and 225mg high dosage Tramadol concealed in crayfish.
However, it was gathered that the first to enter the agency’s dragnet was a Brazilian returnee, Nworie Phillip Chikwendu, who was arrested on Tuesday, May 3rd during an inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil en route Doha to Lagos.
“During a thorough search of his luggage, two parcels of cocaine were discovered concealed in a pair of brown slippers hidden in his oxblood backpack.
“A further search of the pair of black slippers worn by the suspect also led to the recovery of additional two parcels of cocaine built into the soles of his footwear, bringing the total to four parcels weighing 800grams,” Babafemi said.
When undergoing a preliminary interview, Nworie who claimed to be a barber in Sao Paulo, said he came to Nigeria for the burial of his father. He confessed he decided to get into the criminal act because his trip was sponsored by his Brazil-based friend who gave him the drug to deliver in Lagos for a fee of N2m.
Meanwhile, large consignments of psychoactive substances have been intercepted in parts of North-West, North-East and North-central.
In Kaduna, a drug dealer, Obinna Anene a.k.a Young Alhaji, was arrested on Friday 6th May at Buwaya, Kaduna State with 50,000 tablets of Diazepam weighing 9kg; 595 tablets of Tramadol weighing 318grams and 8 tablets of Co-codamol weighing 6grams.
However, on the same day, a trafficker, Alhaji Modu Yahaya, was caught with 26.5kg of cannabis in Damaturu, Yobe State while travelling in a commercial vehicle from Abuja to Maiduguri, Borno State.
Also, nine drug dealers were arrested by operatives in Lagos State on Thursday 5th May during raids in black spots in Mushin Olosha and Akala as well as Langbasa and Ikota in the Ajah area of the state with different quantities of Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine, Cannabis, and Skuchies.
Those arrested include Kehinde Ilori; Osho Demola Nurudeen; Kamarudeen Isiaka; Kazeem Ishola; Afeez Adebolade; Oguntana Aduragbemi; Chuks Alowai; Mrs Bola Kazeem and Kehinde Ogunleye.
In Plateau State, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 7th May intercepted a truck carrying 673.3kg cannabis along Bassa/Rukuba Barracks road in Jos while the driver and his assistant fled into the bush.
In other parts of the state capital, two dealers; Manga Emmanuel and Yusuf Usman were arrested with 34 pinches of cocaine and 400grams of cannabis at old airport and Rikkos respectively.
