NDLEA apprehends a Saudi-bound widow with cocaine in her shoes at Lagos International Airport

Mrs. Ajisegiri Kehinde Sidika, a 56-year-old widow and mother of four, was apprehended by NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, for attempting to traffic 400 grams of cocaine concealed in her footwear to Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

The suspect, who claims to be a businesswoman selling adult and children’s clothing on Lagos Island, was apprehended on Sunday, November 13th, while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight bound for Saudi Arabia via Doha. Two parcels of cocaine weighing 400grams were recovered from the pair of sandals she was wearing after a thorough examination.

Similarly, Ayoade Kehinde Tayo, a tricycle parts seller, was arrested after attempting to send 1kg of Tramadol 225mg and Rohypnol to Istanbul, Turkey via Cairo on an Egypt Airline flight the same day. He was at the airport to hand over the drugs hidden inside a food bag to an intended passenger, Idowu Ayoade, but was apprehended before he could do so.

On Thursday, November 18th, an intending passenger to Oman via Asky airline, Agbamuche Bright Nkeonye, and a lady, Adeoye Oluwakemi Fatimo, who accompanied him to present a bag containing various foodstuffs and body lotion which were used to conceal 1.10kg Cannabis and some Rohypnol capsules, were also arrested at the Lagos airport departure hall.

On Wednesday, November 17th, anti-narcotics officers assigned to the airport’s SAHCO export shed foiled attempts by traffickers to smuggle cannabis and ecstasy tablets concealed in three tubers of yam bound for Dubai, UAE. The freight agent who presented the yams for export, Inegbu Ugochi Akunna, was promptly arrested, as was the consignor, Ahmodu Sulaimon.

During a joint examination with Customs, NDLEA operatives intercepted cartons of lethal drinks in a container marked APZU3671697 at the Brawal container shed of the Kirikiri lighter terminal in Lagos.

Despite the fact that the bill of lading stated that the container originated in Cape Town, South Africa, a search of the shippers’ database revealed that it was loaded in Antwerp, Belgium.

On Thursday, November 18th, a full inspection of the container revealed five cartons of Euphoria cannabis beer and three cartons of cannabis energy drink. Among the other drinks in the container are 21 cartons of monkey shoulder, 20 cartons of dead man’s finger, and 139 cartons of champagne fruit.

In a related development, 5.6 kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine, and tramadol were discovered in items such as a play station, bicycles, motor propellers, and local fabrics packaged for export to Australia and Cyprus via some courier companies in Lagos. In a follow-up operation linked to one of the seizures, two suspects, Gabriel Emeka and Vintura Grillo, were apprehended.

Meanwhile, in Niger state, NDLEA operatives conducting a stop and search operation along the Mokwa-Jebba road on Saturday, November 12th, apprehended two suspects, Ismail Musa and Jidda Abbas, in possession of 10,780 bottles of Akuskura, a new psychoactive substance concealed inside two Toyota Camry saloon cars marked AGL 861 GS Lagos and KMK 118 SC Bayelsa. The shipment was loaded in Ibadan, Oyo state, and was headed to Abuja for distribution.

While operatives intercepted 25,000 Tramadol capsules in Plateau and arrested the owner, Ifeanyi Nweanwe, a beer parlor operator in a follow-up operation in Bauchi, pharmaceutical opioids worth over N30 million were intercepted in a commercial bus in Asaba, Delta state on Thursday, November 18th.

Similarly, on November 19th, operatives stormed the Ijare forest in Ifedore LGA, recovering 600.5kgs of cannabis weed and seeds, while 142.8kgs of the same substance were seized when NDLEA officers raided the zone 3 motor park in Wuse area of Abuja. Similarly, operatives on routine stop and search patrol along the Owerri-Onitsha road apprehended a suspect, Nwankwo Emmanuel, with 25 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 12.5kgs in a commercial bus traveling from Lagos to Port Harcourt.

Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, praised the officers and men of the MMIA, Tincan, Delta, FCT, Niger, Ondo, and Plateau Commands, as well as those of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations, DOGI, for their passion, commitment, and remarkable efforts to get results in their areas of responsibility.

He urged them and their countrymen to remain focused and resilient in pursuit of the Agency’s corporate goal.