Men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), have arrested two businessmen heading to Hong Kong and France, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, (NAIA), Abuja, for ingesting cocaine and heroin respectively.
This was made known by the agency in its weekly media update report signed by it’s Director Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, yesterday in Abuja.
The two according to the agency, were arrested after it was discovered that they were attempting to traffic consignments of cocaine and heroine concealed in their bellies.
38-year-old ThankGod Chimamkpa Emenike was arrested at the boarding gate of the Abuja airport on Friday 20th October during the outward clearance of passengers on Air France flight 818 to Paris, another passenger, 41-year-old Agbo Chidike Prince was taken into NDLEA custody on Saturday 21st October while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 950 to Hong Kong via Addis Ababa.
Both were arrested and detained after their body scan revealed they ingested illicit drugs.
After days in custody and a number of excretions, Emenike excreted 72 wraps of heroin weighing 1.171 kilograms, while Chidike discharged 49 pellets of cocaine with a total weight of 998.53grams.
In his statement, Chidike claimed he is a businessman dealing in spare parts at the Alaba International market in Ojo area of Lagos. He added that he was to be paid N3.5million which he intended to use to import goods from Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos on Wednesday 25th October intercepted a Qatar Airways flight passenger going to Oman, Agbo Celestine Tochukwu with a consignment of 58 parcels of skunk weighing 29.10kgs while undergoing processes to board his flight at the terminal 11 of the airport.
In his statement, Tochukwu claimed he relocated to Oman on 6th May and has been working as hotel attendant in Oman before venturing into drug trafficking.
In Ondo state, a total of 2,197 kilograms of skunk were recovered in four interdiction operations in parts of the state within four days.
While 1,165.5kgs were seized in Uso, Owo LGA on Wednesday 25th October, a consignment of 691kgs were recovered from Ukugu forest in Ipele the previous day, Tuesday 24th October.
Similar operations by personnel of the anti-narcotics agency also led to arrests and confiscations in Oyo, Edo and Gombe states.
A suspect, Ifeanyi Abuguja, 32, was arrested with 87kgs of skunk on Monday 23rd October at Agula Road, Ogbese, Akure North LGA, while 253.5kgs were recovered at Ogbese market in Akure North LGA on Thursday 26th October.
In Oyo state, two suspects: Ayo Dele, 19, and Olaitan Ahmed, 23, were arrested with 160 grams of cannabis at a drug joint at Nalende area of Ibadan metropolis on Sunday 22nd October while a follow up operation at their warehouse in the same area led to the recovery of 332kgs of the same substance.
Lagos Command of the Agency intercepted and recovered a vehicle loaded with 209kgs of Loud at Okun Ajah area of the state on Monday 23rd October, while in Gombe an abandoned consignment of 401 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 392kgs and 21,000 capsules of tramadol were on Saturday 28th October at Tumfure area of the state.
The NDLEA notes that the war the War Against Drug Abuse, (WADA), advocacy campaign is being sustained in schools, markets, worship places and others across the country.
These they said ‘includes WADA town hall sensitization lecture by Zone E command in collaboration with Kano and Jigawa commands of the Agency for 108 principals of secondary schools in Dutse Emirate, lecture for students and teachers of Nkpoghoro community secondary school, Afikpo, Ebonyi state; students and teachers of Government Secondary School a mm ong others.
Chairman and Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba-Marwa (Retd), urged officers and their compatriots across all formations of the Agency to maintain the offensive action tempo and strive to surpass previous records while maintaining a balance with their drug demand reduction efforts
