By Omoyeni Ojeifo
The desperation of a grandmother to make quick money as a willing drug courier and exporter of hard substances to the UK societies has landed her in trouble as she is cooling her feet in Nigeria’s drug agency detention facility.
Luck ran out on the 67-year-old grandmother as she was nabbed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after cocaine allegedly disguised as plantains was found in her luggage.
The suspect, Mary Yetunde Barek, a Nigerian-British caregiver, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Sunday, June 28, while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.
According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, a search of the suspect’s luggage led to the recovery of 31 large wraps of cocaine moulded to resemble bunches of fresh plantains and concealed among other food items.
The exhibits weighed a total of 13 kilograms, while the suspect allegedly admitted ownership of the drugs during interrogation, a statement issued on
on Sunday and sent to Persecondnews said.
The arrest was one of several operations carried out across the country as the agency intensified efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating within and outside Nigeria.
The crackdown extended to Anambra State, where NDLEA operatives uncovered a separate cocaine shipment linked to a Malaysia-bound consignment in Ekwusigo Local Government Area.
Equally, a desperate 45-year-old Ph.D student of the University of Putra, Malaysia, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, who wants to make money and further unleashed hard drugs on the country, was on Monday, June 29, arrested following the interception of 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.80 kilograms concealed inside the walls of nine cartons of Orijin Bitters.
The consignment was reportedly part of a consolidated export cargo destined for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The operation was the outcome of months of intelligence-led investigations by its Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Nigeria Customs Service.
Investigators said four suspects were initially arrested in Lagos during the operation.
They included cargo agent Alalade Taiwo Azeez, driver Ndem Ogbonna Kelechi, trader Okeke Tochukwu Chimezie, and Igwilo Chidi Henry, who was accused of supplying the Orijin Bitters cartons used to conceal the drugs.
Intelligence gathered from the suspects eventually led operatives to Aziora, Ozubulu, in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, where Onyeka was arrested. The agency said he allegedly coordinated the drug trafficking syndicate.
Meanwhile, in Taraba State, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence arrested 30-year-old Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke on Saturday, July 4, along the Zaki-Biam–Wukari Road after allegedly recovering 43,980 capsules of Tramadol concealed inside two vehicle fuel tanks while he was travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State.
Also in Kaduna State, Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, were arrested during a raid in Gwantu on Thursday, July 2, with 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Similarly, operatives in Ebonyi State arrested 65-year-old Francis Ifara Eja with 231.7 kilograms of skunk at Ikwo on Saturday, July 4, while 75-year-old Babani was apprehended a day earlier in Qua’an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State with 15 kilograms of skunk.
Another intelligence-led operation in Gombe State on Wednesday, July 1, led to the arrest of Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, at Kuri village in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area, where officers allegedly recovered 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilograms.
Beyond arrests and seizures, the agency said its Commands and formations sustained the War Against Drug Abuse campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities across the country.
Commenting on the operations, Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers of the MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau and Gombe Commands for the arrests and seizures, saying their operations reflected a balance between enforcement and public sensitisation under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
He urged officers across the country to sustain operational momentum against drug trafficking networks and continue raising the bar in the fight against illicit drugs.
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