Abuja, FCT – Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted multiple international drug trafficking attempts, arresting several individuals and recovering significant quantities of illicit substances across Nigeria’s airports and seaports. These successes highlight the agency’s intensified efforts to combat drug supply and demand nationwide.
At the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) on Saturday, June 7, NDLEA operatives arrested 44-year-old businessman Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian. Ezemokwe was attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Tehran, Iran, via Doha, when a body scan revealed he had ingested 53 wraps of cocaine, totaling 1.172 kilograms. He later expelled the pellets during observation. The suspect admitted to engaging in drug trafficking for two years, operating between West Africa and Iran. This arrest follows a similar incident barely two weeks prior, where 60-year-old businessman Chinedu Leonard Okigbo was intercepted at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) with 65 pellets of cocaine ingested for an Iran-bound flight.
In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, in the early hours of Saturday, June 14, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security, intercepted Italy-bound passenger Edobor Ambrose Ali on an Air France flight. Baggage scanning on the tarmac revealed drug consignments hidden in his luggage. A thorough search after he was brought down from the aircraft uncovered 14,410 pills of Tramadol (225mg and 200mg) concealed within winter jackets. Edobor stated he was hired from Italy for an all-expense-paid trip to Nigeria to courier the drugs to Milan for a fee of 2,000 Euros.
Further interdictions demonstrate the NDLEA’s widespread reach:
- Port Harcourt Ports, Onne, Rivers State: On Friday, June 13, NDLEA operatives, in a joint examination with Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted a watch-listed container holding 157,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup with an estimated street value exceeding N1.1 billion. The opioid consignments were cunningly hidden behind 257 cartons of ceramic sanitary wares.
- Cross River State: On Thursday, June 12, a warehouse raid in Obereakai, Odukpani LGA, led to the arrest of three suspects—Friday Achibong Joseph (47), Abraham Anthony Willy (21), and Utibe David Okon (24)—and the recovery of 2,687 kilograms of skunk (a strain of cannabis).
- Bauchi State: Also on Thursday, June 12, acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA officers arrested Iriemi Imonikhe (49) and Sa’idu Ladan (30) along the Bauchi-Jos road after discovering 195 blocks of skunk, weighing 287 kilograms, concealed in their Toyota Camry car.
- Lagos State: On Thursday, June 12, operatives of the Marine Command recovered 14 jumbo sacks of skunk, weighing 560 kilograms, from a wooden boat at Oniru beach.
- Muhammadu Buhari International Airport (MBIAM), Maiduguri: The same day, two businessmen, Ishaku Abdullahi (30) and Buba Usman (32), were arrested at the domestic wing’s arrival hall with various quantities of ecstasy pills and skunk packaged in deceptive wraps labeled as ‘Lychee’ and ‘Porro Legal’.
Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, confirmed these arrests and seizures in a statement on Sunday.
Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA’s “War Against Drug Abuse” (WADA) social advocacy activities continue nationwide. Recent sensitization lectures were delivered to students and staff at Command Secondary School, Orba, Enugu; Divine Gift International School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Baptist Primary School, Ago-Are, Oyo; and St. Vincent Secondary School, Oti-Oron Okobo, Akwa Ibom State, among others.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the various commands for their recent successes, praising their commitment to maintaining a crucial balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
