The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a 50-year-old Spain-based businessman, Francis Akajiobi, at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of Lagos International Airport.
Akajiobi was caught attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Madrid with 1.20 kilograms of cocaine concealed in his sandals. According to NDLEA spokesperson Mr. Femi Babafemi, the cocaine was hidden in the soles of the black sandals Akajiobi was wearing when intercepted on Thursday. During initial questioning, Akajiobi confessed that the drugs were given to him at a bar in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and that he was supposed to deliver them to a friend in Spain for a fee of €5,000.
In another operation, Makinde Sodiq Lekan was arrested in connection with 99 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 51.60kg, that arrived at the SAHCO Imports shed of Lagos airport on a Turkish Airlines flight from Canada via Istanbul.
Additionally, the NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit, which targets syndicates smuggling large quantities of opioids into neighboring countries, arrested a major kingpin, Chukwuemaka Obodozie. He was apprehended early on July 21 at Cele bus stop along the Oshodi-Apapa expressway, Lagos, with 100,000 tablets of tramadol 225mg. This intelligence-led operation followed five months of surveillance.
Further, the NDLEA raided the Owena forest in Oriade LGA, Osun State, on Friday, arresting 17 suspects and destroying 31,250 kilograms of cannabis on 12.5 hectares of farmland. They also recovered 84kg of processed cannabis sativa and a single-barrel Dane gun. Among those arrested were Peter Osuya, Zebron Ode, Dogo Reuben Matthew, Isaac Terna, Joseph David Lawrence, Ugochukwu Victory, Olamilekan Abolarin, Dele Ayibo, Ojo Moses, Nini Ayila, Msughve Clement, Chuks Ogeneku, Dada Aribo, Uche Endurance, Patrick Agba, Osakwe Kennedy, and Ojo Babatunde.
In Kaduna State, operatives intercepted a 32-year-old woman, Ubaida Aliyu, on the Kaduna-Zaria highway with 573 rounds of 7.60 live ammunition. She admitted she was delivering them to bandits in Sokoto. Additionally, Godwin Udochukwu was arrested with 25,000 ampoules of Pentazocine injection, and Alkasim Mikailu was caught in Kano after the seizure of 37,880 ampoules of Diazepam injection on the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
Two suspects, Abioye Adeniyi and Rafiu Lekan, were detained with 55 jumbo wraps of Ghana Loud along Badagry-Seme road, Lagos. On the same day, Samson Ifeayi Egwutouhi was arrested on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway with 20 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 10.500kg.
In Bauchi State, Suleiman Yahaya and Ibrahim Bello (a.k.a Special) were arrested with 315 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 204.750kg along Maiduguri bypass, Bauchi town.
Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), Chairman and CEO of NDLEA, commended the officers for their relentless efforts in combating drug trafficking. He praised their dual focus on reducing both drug supply and demand and encouraged them to continue their commendable work.
