NDLEA arrests two businessmen, Canada-based nurse at Lagos airport for ‘drug trafficking’

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested two businessmen – Ihejirika Emmanuel and Iwuagwu Victory – at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja  Lagos for drug trafficking.

In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the agency also arrested Usman Olami, a Canada-based nurse, for attempting to import parcels of loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, through the airport.

“Ihejirika who frequents Thailand from where he claims to be importing fish into Nigeria was arrested on Tuesday 15th October 2024 while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Thailand via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,” the statement reads.

“In the same vein, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport on Thursday 17th October intercepted a 26-year-old businessman Iwuagwu Ikedi Victory coming from Brazil via Addis Ababa during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight. His body scan revealed the ingestion of illicit drugs. When he was put under observation, he excreted a pellet of cocaine weighing 22 grams.

“Meanwhile, a Nigerian Canadian nurse Usman Grace Khadijat Olami was on 4th October arrested by NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport during the inward clearance of Air France passengers from Toronto, Canada via Paris. During a search of her luggage, a total of 70 parcels of Canadian Loud, weighing 35.70kg were recovered from her.”

Babafemi added that a total of 162,351 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted from two containers at the Apapa seaport in Lagos by NDLEA operatives during a joint examination of two containers with men of the Customs service and other security agencies on October 15, 2024.

“On the same day, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the operatives arrested one Andrew Joseph Anoriode with 3kg methamphetamine and 1.90kg cannabis along, while 241kg of the same substance was recovered at Gbaji, Badagry area of the state,” he said.

“A suspected meth cook, Agbeiboh Oscar, was nabbed the same day at Abule Osun with 265grams of methamphetamine and different quantities of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of methamphetamine and others.

“Similarly, at One Port Complex in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, not less 7,200,000 pills of Royal 225mg Tapentadol and Carisoprodol worth N3.6 billion in street value were seized from a watch-listed container from India.

“In the same container, 780 cartons of chlorphenamine containing 15,600,000 pills of the opioid, were also recovered.

“From two other watch-listed containers equally searched at the port in Onne, a total of 337,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth N2,359,000,000 were recovered from them on Tuesday 15th and Thursday 17th October.

“This brings the total value of the seized Tapentadol, Carisoprodol and Codeine consignments at the two seaports to N7,095,457,000.”

The agency added that in Edo state, a raid at Illushi forest in Esan south-east LGA led to the destruction of 10,590.36kg cannabis spread on 4.236144 hectares of farmland.

“65 years old Benson Upuoni, and 35 years old Sunday Nwaeboyi were arrested in connection with the operation,” Babafemi said.

“In Bauchi state, Sunday Jonathan Ogenyi, a suspect, was arrested along Bauchi-Jos road with 76,600 pills of tramadol concealed in false compartments of his Toyota Sienna vehicle.

“In Ondo state, the operatives arrested three suspects – Goddey Obizuo; Samuel Aniete; and Kuffrey Aniete – at Afo village where 672kg cannabis sativa was seized from them.”

Babafemi said the operatives are relentlessly continuing their war against drug abuse (WADA) and are taking sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities, among other places.

Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman, commended the operatives, saying their efforts are a balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction.