•as NDLEA seizes 5.40kg cocaine, intercepts another shipment heading to Angola
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 42-year-old Angolan businessman, Mbala Dajou Abuba, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, for attempting to traffic a large consignment of cocaine, which he ingested, to Istanbul, Turkey.
Abuba, who is from the Zaire province in Angola, was arrested on 25th February 2025 at the screening point of the Kano airport while trying to board Egypt Air flight MS 880 to Istanbul, Turkey, via Cairo.
An NDLEA statement on Sunday said that after his body scan result confirmed he ingested an illicit drug, he was thereafter placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 120 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.829 kilograms in seven excretions. In his statement, the suspect claimed he was into the business of township delivery services in Angola before delving into the illicit drug trade.
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A similar attempt by an auto spare parts dealer, Okeke Ebuka Igwe, to send two parcels of 1.10kg cocaine concealed in vehicle propellers to Angola through the export shed of the Lagos International Airport, was thwarted by NDLEA operatives who arrested him on 24th February following credible intelligence.
During an interview with the suspect, he claimed that he is a businessman selling auto parts in ASPANDA, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo area of Lagos.
The bid by another suspect, Ezechi Iyke Cyprian, to move a large consignment of cocaine weighing 5.40 kilograms to Owerri, Imo state, in his Toyota Sienna bus on Sunday, 23rd Februar,y was frustrated by operatives of a special operations unit of the NDLEA who arrested him following weeks of intelligence and surveillance.
At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on 28th February discovered a total of 128 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in two mattresses in the trunk of a Toyota Venza car imported from Canada.
The discovery of the 63.75kg consignment was made during a joint examination of a targeted container marked TCNU 1945861 from Montreal, Canada, by NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies. The consignee of the shipment, 44-year-old Bamidele Joseph, has been arrested and taken into custody.
In Delta state, NDLEA operatives supported by the military on 27th February stormed a forest in Innam-Abbi/Orogun community, Ndokwa West local government area, where they destroyed over 50,000kg cannabis on a 20-hectare farmland. Five suspects arrested during the raid include: Augustine Subaru, Ukoba Malachukwu, Odalonu Emmanuel, Esuabom Macaulay and Itoje Safe.
In another operation in Delta state, NDLEA operatives on 28th February intercepted a Mercedes Benz truck marked AWK 791 ZJ along Abraka-Orogun road. A search of the truck led to the recovery of 101 bags of skunk with a total weight of 1,111kg.
In Edo state, NDLEA officers, supported by the military on Saturday, raided the Okpuje community in Owan West LGA, where they destroyed over 100 jumbo bags of skunk in warehouses and recovered a total of 1,409.5kg of the psychoactive substance for the prosecution of arrested suspects: Oikelomen Osere Monday and Glory Iroyo.
While a suspect, Michael Omoloki was arrested with 58.5 kilograms of skunk at the Ibadan end of the Lagos -Ibadan expressway, Oyo state, operatives in Kwara state on 24th February nabbed a Beninoise Lawali Mohammed with 2,980 tablets of tramadol and dozens of diazepam pills at Eiyenkorin expressway, Ilorin.
In Osun, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Ibadan/ Gbongan expressway on 27th February intercepted a consignment of 1.05kg skunk concealed in detergent soap and biscuit carton, and Sunday Ogbu was arrested in connection with the seizure.
A suspect, Ayuba Mustapha, was arrested at Tsafe, Zamfara state, with 24,700 pills of tramadol on 23rd February.in Borno state, Mustapha Shettima was arrested by NDLEA operatives with 31kg skunk, 1,000 pills of tramadol and N720,000 monetary exhibit along Bama road, Maiduguri on 26th February, and Adamu Idris was also nabbed along Zaria road, Kano, same day, with 140 blocks of cannabis weighing 73.5kg.
While commending the officers and men of he various Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country, especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction effort,s are well appreciated.
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