The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its offensive against drug cartels, arresting multiple suspects and intercepting large consignments of illicit substances across the country within one week.
The post shared on the anti-drug agency Facebook page on Sunday revealed that at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, operatives apprehended two Brazil returnees, Ofoma Sunday and Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu, who ingested a combined total of 116 wraps of heroin and cocaine.
Ofoma, 46, was arrested on 16 September after a body scan confirmed he had ingested heroin. He later excreted 111 wraps weighing 1.452kg. A swift follow-up led to the arrest of his Lagos-based accomplice, Nweke Chuckwudi, 55, who was assigned to recover the drugs.
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Similarly, Ukachukwu was arrested on 19th September with cocaine inserts. Under observation, he expelled five wraps weighing 145 grams. He confessed to smuggling nine wraps from Brazil but discarded some due to severe anal pain during transit.
In a related operation, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with Aviation Security personnel, arrested a businesswoman, Okolonkwo Theresa, on 14 September while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha.
Two parcels of methamphetamine weighing 1.40kg were concealed in her underwear. Another consignment containing 40 wraps of methamphetamine (2.30kg) was intercepted at the NAHCO export shed, while cocaine disguised in phone chargers was seized at a courier company.
Nationwide raids also yielded significant seizures. In Adamawa, 233,800 tramadol pills were recovered in separate operations.
In Zamfara, 1,099.4kg of skunk was seized from a truck. NDLEA operatives further dismantled cannabis farms covering over four hectares in Edo, destroying an estimated yield of 11,330kg. Arrests were equally recorded in Taraba and Yobe states.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), commended the operatives for their vigilance, stressing that the operations were part of the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
He reaffirmed the commitment to disrupt trafficking networks and prevent illicit substances from targeting the country’s youth.
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, said the arrests and seizures underscored the agency’s determination to protect communities from the scourge of drug abuse while safeguarding Nigeria’s image internationally.
