By Seyi Odewale
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday said its operatives arrested a 38-year-old lady, Chimamkpa Emenike (38) on October 20 and a 41-year-old man, Agbo Chidike on October 21 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for ingesting hard drugs.
Emenike was jetting out to France with his ingested heroin while Chidike was on his way to Hong Kong with cocaine in his belly when they were arrested.
The agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this yesterday in Abuja, said Emenike was arrested at the boarding gate of the airport while attempting to board an Air France flight to Paris, adding that Chidike was taken into custody on October 21 while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Hong Kong via Addis Ababa.
“After days in custody, Emenike excreted 72 wraps of heroin weighing 1.171kg, while Chidike discharged 49 pellets of cocaine weighing 998.53gm. In his statement, Chidike claimed he is a businessman dealing in spare parts at the Alaba International market in Ojo area of Lagos.
“Chidike was to be paid N3.5 million, which he intended to use to import goods from Hong Kong,’’ Babafemi stated.
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He added that the NDLEA operatives intercepted a Qatar Airways passenger, Agbo Tochukwu, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, on Wednesday, October 25 while on his way to Oman.
The suspect, he said, had 58 parcels of skunk weighing 29.10kg on him while undergoing processes of boarding his flight. “In his statement, Tochukwu claimed he migrated to Oman on May 6 and had been working as a hotel attendant there before venturing into drug trafficking,’’ Babfemi stated.
In another development, the NDLEA said it also intercepted more than six tons of skunk in Ondo, Oyo, Lagos, Edo and Gombe states.
According to Babafemi, 2,197kg of skunk were recovered in four interdictions in parts of Ondo State within four days.
He explained that 1,165.5kg of skunk were seized in Uso, Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State on Wednesday, while 691kgs of the drugs were recovered at Ukugu Forest in Ipele, in the state on Tuesday.
“A suspect, Ifeanyi Abuguja, 32, was arrested with 87kg of same substance on Monday, Oct. 23 at Agula Road, Ogbese, in Akure North Local Government Area of the state.
“At Ogbese Market in the same local government area of Ondo State, 253.5kg of the substance were recovered on Thursday, Oct. 26,’’ he stated.
He added that two suspects, Ayo Dele, 19, and Olaitan Ahmed, 23, were arrested with 160gm of Indian hemp at a drug joint at Inalende area of Ibadan on October 22.
A follow-up operation at a warehouse in the area, he said, led to the recovery of 332kg of Indian hemp.
Also, at the Lagos Command of the drug law agency, Babafemi said a vehicle loaded with 209kg of “Loud’’ at Okun Ajah area of the state was on October 23 arrested.
He added that the agency in Gombe State recovered an abandoned consignment of 401 blocks of Indian hemp at the weekend.
The consignment, he said, weighed 392kg, adding that 21,000 capsules of tramadol were also recovered in the Tumfure area of Gombe.
“In the early hours of Sunday, October 29, NDLEA operatives in Edo stormed the Utese Forest in Ovia North East Local Government Area. The operatives evacuated 2,931.3kg of Indian hemp from a warehouse in the forest,’’ Babafemi stated.
