Cocaine bust: NDLEA arrests nursing student attempting to board flight to India

In yet another successful operation, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinma, a 26-year-old nursing student, with 76 wraps of cocaine while attempting to board a flight to India.

According to Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA spokesman, the suspect, a 200-level nursing student at Noida International University in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested at the Royal Park Hotel in Sabon Gari, Kano, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.

Esther was scheduled to return to Delhi, India, from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano (MAKIA) on Qatar Airways flight 1432 on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, Babafemi said n a statement on Sunday, a copy of which was obtained by Persecondnews.

She was, however, arrested on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 while awaiting the cocaine consignment she was to ingest before her flight.

Esther’s plan was uncovered after NDLEA operatives on patrol on Okene -Lokoja highway intercepted a 31-year-old man, Cosmas Okorie, in a commuter bus travelling from Lagos to Kano on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.

While searching Cosmas’ belongings, the operatives found an audio speaker hidden inside a black polythene bag, which was used to conceal 76 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.34 kilograms.

The spokesman said Cosmas Okorie’s confession led to Esther’s arrest.

in her statement, Esther said a drug cartel in India recruited her, paid for her trip to Nigeria, and promised her over $5,000 to deliver the drugs.

To avoid suspicion, she spent two weeks in an Enugu hotel and later moved to Abuja before heading to Kano.

The NDLEA also said: “In other operations along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja highway, NDLEA officers arrested four suspects: Abdullahi Umar; Tijjani Samaila; Lucky Obotte and Abubakar Haruna, who were heading to Maiduguri, Borno state, Kano, and Abuja in commuter vehicles with over 38,000 pills of tramadol 225mg, 250mg and 100mg concealed in audio speakers and cloths.

“In Lagos, operatives of a special operations unit of the Agency on Tuesday 14th January raided the hideout of a 59-year-old Nwokedi Emeka Jonas in Ojodu-Berger area of the state where they recovered 10 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 4.9kg as well as different paper bags he uses in dispensing the psychoactive substance in retail quantities.

“Printed on them include street names and codes such as ‘Dead man’; ‘Gelato top shelf smoke’; ‘Topshelf’; and ‘Gelato cake’

“In other operations in Lagos, operatives of the state Command of the Agency on Wednesday 15th January raided a house in Igando New Town area of Alimosho where they arrested three suspects: Isaac Vincent, 32; Ebube Ikechi, 25; and Christopher Usifoh, 43, from whom 1,610kg skunk, a strain of cannabis and 6kg pills of tramadol were recovered.

“Also recovered from the house were a delivery van and three other vehicles used for distributing the illicit drugs.

“Two suspects: Olashile Okoya and Mohammed Ibrahim were arrested on Saturday 18th January when NDLEA officers raided their home at 5A Addison Palmer, Cadogan Estate, Castle Rock Avenue, Osapa, Lekki Lagos, where 28 kilograms of Canadian Loud were

“Not less than 67kg skunk was seized from Saheed Sulaiman on Thursday 16th January when NDLEA operatives raided his Edumare street, Lagos Island hideout, while various quantities of assorted illicit substances were recovered from Adamu Abdullahi on Tuesday 14th January when Jerry Irabi Estate, Lekki hideout was raided by NDLEA officers.

“They include 3.7 litres of codeine syrup; 10,000 pills of tramadol; 1,670 tablets of rohypnol; 6.5kg cannabis; 3,100 tablets of diazepam; 10,090 tablets of Molly; 5,500 tabs of Exol-5; 1.2kg crisps of wrapped methamphetamine and a monetary exhibit of ₦623,650.00.

“In Kano, two suspects: Usama Adamu, 25, and Isah Ibrahim, 29, were on Friday 17th January arrested at Dawanau, Dawakin Tofa LGA where a total of 7.6kg skunk, 78 tubes of rubber solution and 356 bottles of ‘suck and die’, a new psychoactive substance were recovered from them.

” In another raid in Kano, Usman Isa, 29, was nabbed along Zaria Road with 114 blocks of skunk weighing 49.8kg.

“Three suspects: Lawali Isiaka, Umoru Isiaka and Mohammed Kabiru were on Wednesday, 15th January arrested by NDLEA operatives with 390 tablets of Molly and 65.5kg of cannabis at Bode Saadu in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State, while Samuel Ogbu, 24, was nabbed with 25,000 pills of tramadol by operatives along Wukari- Zaki Ibiam road, Wukari LGA, Taraba state.

“In series of raids in Abuja, a suspect, Rufa’i Hashimu, 27, was arrested at Gwarimpa village area of the FCT with 118 bottles of codeine-based syrup, while 13 others were nabbed in other locations such as Area1 IDP camp, Gishiri, Zuba, Dei -Dei, AYA, Lagos Street Garki, Karu, and Lugbe. Recovered from them include different quantities of tramadol, diazepam, and methamphetamine.”