Cocaine bust at Lagos Airport: NDLEA seizes N4.4bn worth of cocaine, questions 30 suspects

Stanley Ihedigbo

In a major blow to global narcotics trafficking, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a massive shipment of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

The agency’s operatives successfully thwarted an attempt by an international drug syndicate to smuggle 18.72 kilograms of cocaine, concealed in 845 wraps, from Brazil to Lagos, with Ethiopia serving as a transit point.

According to Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi, the drug consignments worth N4,492,800,000, in street value were recovered from two lavatories of an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft during the post landing cleaning of the cabin of flight ET900 from Addis Ababa to Lagos on Tuesday, 29th October 2024.

The illicit drug consignments were wrapped in nine polythene bags and hidden in the waste collectors in the two rear lavatories of the aircraft, from where they were recovered after the MMIA Strategic Command of NDLEA was alerted about the strange objects.

No fewer than 30 suspects have so far been grilled in connection with the seizure. Investigations revealed that the seized drugs were conveyed from Brazil to Ethiopia through ingestion and excreted in Addis Ababa by a set of couriers while some other traffickers picked them up and attempted to smuggle them into Nigeria through the Lagos airport before their attempt was frustrated with the cooperation of the airline’s authorities and other airport stakeholders.

In the same vein, attempts by some drug trafficking syndicates to export 2.928 kg of cocaine, cannabis, and tramadol 225 mg concealed in body cream containers and pieces of art work to Australia, the United Arab Emirate, and the United Kingdom through some courier companies in Lagos were also blocked by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, (DOGI), on Monday, October 28th.

At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 754, 000 pills of tapentadol and acetaminophen 225 mg worth N525, 000,000 in a targeted and watch-listed container from India during a joint examination with men of Customs Service and other security agencies. In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), suspect Mujahid Hamisu, 24, was arrested with 147,000 pills of tramadol concealed in black nylon bags containing plumbing materials along Kwali-Gwagwalada- Abuja expressway on his way from Onitsha, Anambra State, on Saturday, November 2, 2024, while another suspect, Seun Abimbola, 47, was nabbed by NDLEA operatives the same day with 512 grams of methamphetamine during a raid operation at the Giri junction area of the FCT.

In Kogi state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Kabba-Obajana highway arrested Mercy Ameh, 28, in a commercial bus traveling from Lagos to Abuja while a search of her luggage led to the recovery of fake Naira notes worth ₦ 4,353,200, even as another suspect, Shaibu Dahiru, 27, was nabbed in a vehicle coming from Lagos to Katsina along Lokoja-Okene-Abuja road on Thursday 30th October with 68 blocks of cannabis weighing 27.400 kg.

A Notorious drug dealer, Usman Abba (alias Timaya), who has been on the watchlist of the Katsina state command of NDLEA, was on Wednesday, October 30th, arrested at the Liberty Hotel, Kofar Kaura, with consignments of Arizona, a strain of cannabis. Same day, NDLEA operatives in Adamawa arrested a suspect, Augustine Dike, 31, with 50.3 grams of methamphetamine, at Quarisa Hotel, Jimeta. In Taraba, operatives on Friday 1st November arrested Danlami Fakwa, 46, at Sabon Gari, Jalingo LGA, with 49.795 kg of cannabis, while a total of 561 kg of the same substance was recovered from a Sienna bus at Ogbese village in Ondo state on Monday 28th October.

A suspect, Kabiru Yusuf, 25, was arrested on Saturday, October 2nd, in possession of 51,813 pills of tramadol and exol 5 at NDA Bus Stop, Kaduna, just as raids in Edo State led to the seizure of 603.6 kg of cannabis at Farm Road, Ekiadolor, and 308.4 kg of the same substance at Uroe community.

Meanwhile, across the country, NDLEA Commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), sensitization lectures, and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers, and communities all through the past week.

Instances include, WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Government Day Secondary School, Sanganare, Adamawa; students of College of Arts and Islamic Studies, Tungan Magajiya, Niger state; students and staff of Regina Catholic International College, Obehie, Abia state; students and teachers of Akinmorin Grammar School, Oyo, Oyo state; as well as students and teachers of Redeemer’s International School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, DOGI, Apapa, Kogi, FCT, Adamawa, Katsina, Kaduna, Ondo, Taraba, and Edo Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), also applauded their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WADA sensitization lectures and advocacy messages to every part of their areas of responsibility.