By Omoyeni Ojeifo
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has renewed warnings against accepting luggage from people without verifying its contents, following the arrest of a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother with 9.45kg of high-grade cannabis at Lagos airport, among series of other nationwide seizures.
NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, provided details of the operations in an emailed statement to PerSecondNews on Sunday.
The suspect, Anetor Gloria Ubong, a realtor based in Richmond, Texas, who holds both Nigerian and US passports, was arrested on Wednesday, October 21, following her arrival on a United Airlines flight from Houston, the United States.
A search of her two checked-in boxes uncovered 18 parcels of loud, a synthetic cannabis weighing 9.45kg, concealed with gift-wrapping paper in a box.
During interrogation , she claimed the box was delivered to her home in the US by her daughter and the daughter’s future brother-in-law for onward delivery in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé, Jibola.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a 34-year-old South African woman, Qhina Beauty, with 36.65kg of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
Qhina was arrested at the departure hall of the Lagos airport on Wednesday, October 7, while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha.
A search of her two travelling bags led to the recovery of 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65kg, laced with dried pepper, wrapped in cello tape and packed into seven separate parcels.
During her interview, she told operatives that she arrived in Nigeria on September 30 specifically to pick up the consignment.
According to her, she was recruited by another South African woman, who promised her R20,000 on successful delivery.
She claimed she was introduced to two other members of the syndicate, one based in the United States and the other a Lagos-based car dealer.
Further investigations later led to the arrest, on October 14, of the 46-year-old car dealer, Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, who was intercepted at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, after days of surveillance at his Shasha residence.
He admitted receiving Qhina at the airport, lodging her at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin and later moving her to Cynarisso Hotel near the airport ahead of her departure.
In another interdiction, operatives of the NDLEA attached to a special operations unit arrested Eletu Rasheedat, 41, at Eti Osa in Lagos on Friday, October 23.
The operation led to the recovery of 5,820 pills of diazepam, 780 tablets of tramadol, 3.7kg of skunk and 230.25 litres of skuchies.
Elsewhere in Delta State, a suspect, Peter Ugochukwu, 51, was arrested in Warri with a huge cache of pharmaceutical opioids.
The seized substances included 29,350 capsules of tramadol, 6,620 tablets of tramadol 200mg, 4,116 bottles of codeine syrup, 11,340 tablets of Rohypnol, 3,500 tablets of diazepam, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 200 ampoules of diazepam injection, and quantities of tramadol 225mg, Molly and Cocodamol.
He was transferred along with a white Hummer bus from the Nigeria Police Force, Delta State.
In a separate arrest at Enhere Junction, Warri, a 46-year-old physically challenged woman, Helen Bakporo Samson, was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Monday, October 19, with 6.0kg of skunk.
In a further crackdown in Oyo State, a 41-year-old suspect, Fajana Dada Oluwaseyi, was arrested on Monday, October 19, in Adamasingba, Ibadan, following his initial escape from arrest when NDLEA officers seized 197.8kg of cannabis sativa from his house on September 16.
Moving to Kano State, a raid in the Gerawa area on Thursday, October 22, led to the arrest of Murtala Lawan, 30, and the seizure of 159 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 97.2kg.
Meanwhile, in Taraba State, NDLEA officers at the Lankaviri checkpoint, Yorro Local Government Area, arrested Raiyanu Misa, 39, on Friday, October 23, with 95 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 60.175kg.
On the same day, the Nigeria Police Force handed over a suspect arrested at Dakka village, Bali Local Government Area, with 112 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 81.49kg.
In a seperate raid in Niger State, Emmanuel Ekene, 26, was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Monday, October 19, along the Sabo-Kainji Road, Borgu Local Government Area, with 64,000 pills of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.
Further seizures were also recorded in Bauchi State, where officers arrested Jamilu Mustapha, also known as Last Card, 45, on Wednesday, October 21, at Nasaru Town, Ningi Local Government Area, where they seized 379kg of cannabis sativa packed in seven jumbo sacks.
Acting on intelligence, NDLEA officers on Tuesday, October 20, raided a farm at Board-Ala, Akure South, Ondo State, and recovered 56 bags of abandoned cannabis sativa weighing 583kg.
In another intelligence led operation in Edo State, two cannabis farms in Ugbada Forest, Uzebba, Owan West Local Government Area, were destroyed by NDLEA operatives on Sunday, October 18.
The farms had an estimated yield of 2,023.14kg. Officers also burnt 450kg of processed cannabis at the site and took 97kg as exhibits.
In a related operation at Ewe community, Owan West, Mary Edokhai, 42, was arrested with 35kg of the same psychoactive substance.
The agency also sustained its nationwide public enlightenment campaign against drug abuse, with NDLEA commands and formations taking the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) message to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
NDLEA Chairman/CEO, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, applauded officers and men of the MMIA, Kano, Lagos, Bauchi, Niger, Edo, Ondo, Taraba, Oyo and Delta commands for their vigilance, diligence, professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the various successful operations.
Marwa urged them and their colleagues across the country to sustain the tempo of the war against drug trafficking and abuse.
Author
Leave a comment