NDLEA finds cocaine in food items belonging to UK-bound 74-year-old grandpa arrested at Abuja airport
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has found a large consignment of cocaine in foil papers and balloons concealed in the luggage of Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, 74. who was
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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has found a large consignment of cocaine in foil papers and balloons concealed in the luggage of Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, 74. who was on his way to the United Kingdom at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.
Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, Femi Babafemi, who made this known in a statement, said the septuagenarian, who claimed he was travelling to London for vacation, was arrested by NDLEA officers at the departure hall of the airport while attempting to board a British Airways Flight BA082 to Heathrow London on Saturday.
Babafemi said during a search, blocks of cocaine weighing 11 kilograms were discovered in food items, including ground dry pepper, wrapped in foil papers and balloons.
Babafemi also said in Lagos, their operatives acting on credible intelligence in the early hours of Monday, March 9 arrested a woman, Mrs. Maryam Olalowo, at Ikad Hotel and Suites, on Etim Inyang Street, Victoria Island, while attempting to sell 89grams of cocaine and 20grams of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis.
According to the statement, she was found with her three children, including an infant, at the time of the arrest.
Babafemi said she confessed the illicit drugs belonged to her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, who was later taken into custody while his wife was set free.
The statement indicated that Ibrahim confirmed ownership of the illicit drugs while further investigation showed that he had been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment for a similar offence in 2015.
The statement reads: “In another interdiction operation, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects: Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim at Ebetu Ero, Lagos Island where they recovered 68,000 pills of tramadol 250mg and 225mg after they had loaded the exhibits into their truck and preparing to transport them to Benin Republic on Monday 9th March.
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“A follow-up was conducted on Wednesday 11th March at Idumota Market, Lagos Island, where the actual owner of the consignment, Nnamdi Cyprian, was arrested. A search of his shop led to the discovery of a parcel already prepared for waybill delivery, containing 1,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg. Another raid at Idumota market on Friday, 13th March led to the arrest of Nwanosike Kelvin and the recovery of 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection from his shop.
“While a 42-year-old Magaji Dan Azumi was arrested at Bebeji area of Kano with 386kg skunk on Tuesday 10th March, NDLEA officers in Abuja recovered 282.2kg skunk from a suspect Isah Wako, 42, in Gwagwalada area of the FCT on Friday 13th March.
“In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided the Egwa forest reserve in Aduan village, Orhionmwon Local Government Area where a suspect Chinedo Odalonu,33, was apprehended and a total of 4,218.96kg skunk destroyed on two farms with 16.5kg of same substance recovered.’’
Also, no fewer than 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in two containers at the Apapa seaport in Lagos last Saturday during an examination of the shipments by NDLEA officers, men of Customs and other security agencies. The containers had earlier been watch-listed by NDLEA following credible intelligence on concealment of opioids in them.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), praised the officers and their counterparts in the commands across the country for the successes they recorded in the battle against drugs.
