The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two Pakistani businessmen at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Lagos with 8 kilograms of cocaine.
The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the drugs were concealed in a public address system in which the suspects were attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Lahole, Pakistan via Doha.
He said that the two suspects, Asif Muhammed, 45 and Hussain Naveed, 57, who hold Nigerian residence permits suspected to be fake, were frequent travelers to Nigeria under the guise of doing textile business.
According to him, they were arrested on Saturday at the Lagos Airport, barely a week after they came to Nigeria.
Meanwhile, operatives at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc (SAHCO) import shed of the airport on Friday seized 13 cartons of Tramadol 225mg and 200mg, imported from Karachi, Pakistan.
Babafemi said that the consignment had a weight of 465.10kg and 642,800 pills of the pharmaceutical opioid.
“The previous day, Thursday, operatives at the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc ( NAHCO) export shed of the airport also intercepted a consignment of different illicit drugs.
“This included Cannabis, Cocaine and Methamphetamine as well as Tramadol 225mg and Rohyphnol concealed in footwears and soap packs going to UAE, Dubai.
“A 32-year old Oladitan Serah Olufunmilayo, who presented the consignment for export, was arrested, “he said.
Also, NDLEA has arrested two businessmen who had been on the run for months over their involvement in drug trafficking.
NDLEA’s spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi stated in Abuja on Sunday that one of them, Nnebo Christopher had been wanted for his role in the importation of 40 cartons containing 346,800 pills of Co-codamol.
Co-codamol is a combination of paracetamol and Codeine and was seized at the cargo wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) local wing in March 2022, he stated.
He added that Christopher was arrested on Nov. 3 in connection with the seized drugs.
Babafemi also stated that NDLEA operatives who had been on the trail of an automobile parts dealer, Omeje Oliver (aka David Mark) since April eventually arrested him on Oct. 31 in Enugu.
Oliver fled to Enugu after abandoning his business at Aspanda, Trade Fair Complex Lagos.
Oliver was wanted in connection with the seizure of 600 grams of heroin concealed inside soles of ladies’ footwear going to Liberia on April 16.
“NDLEA operatives also intercepted 550 grams of Indian hemp `loud’ concealed in machine parts going to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, while the sender, Ogbure Ifeanyi was later arrested,’’ Babafemi stated.
In another development, operatives on patrol on Malumfashi-Zaria Road, in Katsina State, arrested a blind Nigerien, Bukar Haruna, 52, and his son Saka Haruna, 30 for drug trafficking.
The suspects were arrested while heading to Niger Republic with 20.5kg of Indian hemp and 10 grams of Exol-5, Babafemi stated.
NDLEA also recovered no less than 2,685.5kg of Indian hemp in four different operations in Edo the last week.
Babafemi stated that 53 bags of Indian hemp weighing 742.5kgs were seized on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at a camp in Esioriri, Owan East Local Government Area of Edo where four suspects were arrested.
The suspects are Chukueke Igba, 32; Solomon Peter, 34; Emmanuel Jeremiah, 36 and Happiness Chidi, 37.
Another raid in the house of one Joy Zubaru, 45, led to her arrest with 30.5kg of Indian hemp recovered.
In the same vein, operatives stormed the Egbeta Forest in Ovia Northeast Local Government Area of Edo on Nov. 3 and recovered 112 bags of Indian hemp and eight bags of seeds weighing 1,598.5kg.
The NDLEA spokesman stated also that another team evacuated 27 bags of Indian hemp weighing 314kg at Amahor village in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo.
“In Mubi area of Adamawa, operatives intercepted a Toyota Corolla car transporting 9,600 pills of tramadol on Tuesday Nov. 1.
“A follow-up operation later led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment, Mamuda Ramadan, (aka Muller).
“Another suspect, Alhassan Muhammed, was arrested on Oct. 30 on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 136,000 pills of tramadol concealed inside his car’s spare tyre,’’ Babafemi added.
