NDLEA arrests man with ‘1.45kg of cocaine concealed in luggage’ at Abuja airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have arrested Ejike Chibuke Solomon, a 40-year-old businessman.

The agency said Solomon was intercepted with 1.45 kilograms of cocaine concealed in his luggage, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said Solomon was on his way to boarding an Ethiopia Airlines flight number 950 to Vietnam via Addis Ababa, on March 2, when NDLEA officers subjected him to a thorough search.

He said in the process, the illicit substance was discovered concealed, factory-fitted, in his bag.

Babafemi said the suspect claimed he was on a business trip to Vietnam.

The spokesperson also said on March 1, NDLEA operatives of a special unit of the agency, swooped on members of a syndicate that deals in methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin in their hideouts in parts of Lagos.

“The operatives assigned for the operation raided the home of Esimone Amachukwu Christopher at 14 Arochukwu street, Ejigbo, where 10.012 kilograms of methamphetamine was found in possession of his associate, 40-year-old Evelyn Nneka Okem. Esimone is currently at large,” the statement reads.

“While the Ejigbo operation was going on, another set of officers were simultaneously busy in the residence of another member of the syndicate, 45-year-old Ebele Edwin Iwuegbunam, located at Plot 1604 Close D, 4th Avenue, Festac town, Lagos where they arrested him and recovered 429.5grams of cocaine and 7 kilograms of heroin.

“In Kogi state, NDLEA officers on a stop and search operation along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway on Friday 1st March intercepted a commercial bus marked GRM 347XA (Borno) conveying 28 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing Ilk; 100 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup and 500 tablets of diazepam, all concealed in three plastic drums covered with cattle fats, heading to Jos, Plateau state.

“While operatives in Ogun state on Thursday 29th February recovered 169kg consignment of cannabis abandoned in a truck at Sagamu tollgate, their counterparts in Lagos seized 25 cartons of tramadol containing 325,000 pills in Ikeja the previous day Wednesday 28th Feb.”

The statement added that the agency also seized illicit substances in Kano and Borno states.

“Same day, a suspect, Abdullahi Garba Khalil, 42, and 2,745,000 capsules of pregabalin recovered from him at Singer market, Sabon Gari area of Kano were handed over to the Kano state command of NDLEA by the Department of State Security, DSS,” he said.

“In the same vein, the 243 Recce Battalion, Nigerian Army, Badagry on Saturday 2nd March, transferred 27 sacks of cannabis sativa weighing 1,110kg recovered at a coastal community, Ajido by soldiers, to the Seme Special Area Command of NDLEA.

“A suspect, Hassan Muhammad, 34, was on Saturday 2nd March arrested with 44,950 pills of tramadol at Moranti area of Borno state by NDLEA operatives.”