NDLEA arrests Saudi-bound widow ‘with cocaine concealed in footwear’ at Lagos airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested one Ajisegiri Kehinde Sidika, a 56-year-old widow, over an alleged attempt to traffic 400 grams of cocaine to Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

According to the NDLEA, Sidika, a mother of four, had concealed the cocaine in her footwear.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, in a statement on Sunday, said the suspect was trying to board a Qatar Airways flight going to Saudi Arabia via Doha before she was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed international airport on Sunday.

“Upon a critical examination of the pair of sandals she was wearing, two parcels of cocaine weighing 400 grams were recovered from them,” Babafemi said.

In Saudi Arabia, drug smuggling and other related crimes carries a death penalty.

In a related development, the NDLEA foiled the attempt of a tricycle parts seller identified as Ayoade Kehinde Tayo to send 1kg of tramadol 225mg and Rohypnol to Istanbul, Turkey via Cairo at the Lagos airport.

The anti-drug agency arrested the tricycle parts seller and the passenger identified as Idowu Ayoade.

Also at the Lagos airport, the agency arrested a passenger travelling to Oman identified as Agbamuche Bright Nkeonye alongside Adeoye Oluwakemi Fatimo, a lady.

According to NDLEA, the lady accompanied the passenger in a bid to present a bag containing varieties of foodstuffs and body lotion which were used to conceal 1.10kg cannabis and some rohypnol capsules.

Highlighting other arrests made, the NDLEA said: “In Niger state, NDLEA operatives on stop and search operation along Mokwa-Jebba road on Saturday 12th Nov. arrested two suspects; Ismail Musa and Jidda Abbas with 10,780 bottles of Akuskura, a new psychoactive substance concealed inside two Toyota Camry saloon cars marked AGL 861 GS Lagos and KMK 118 SC Bayelsa.

“The consignment loaded in Ibadan, Oyo state, was going to Abuja for distribution.

“While operatives intercepted 25,000 capsules of tramadol in Plateau and arrested the owner, Ifeanyi Nweanwe, a beer parlour operator in a follow up operation in Bauchi. Pharmaceutical opioids worth more than N30million were intercepted in a commercial bus in Asaba, Delta state on Thursday 18th Nov.

“In Ondo state, operatives stormed the Ijare forest, in Ifedore LGA on Friday 19th Nov where a total of 600.5kgs of cannabis weed and seeds were recovered, while 142.8kgs of the same substance were seized when NDLEA officers raided the zone 3 motor park in Wuse area of Abuja.

“In the same vein, operatives on routine stop and search patrol along Owerri-Onitsha road arrested a suspect Nwankwo Emmanuel, with 25 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 12.5kgs in a commercial bus going to Port Harcourt from Lagos.”