An attempt by a businessman, Olisaka Chibuzo Calistus, dealing on import and export, to smuggle 256 wraps of cocaine, weighing six kilogrammes into the country through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, has been foiled by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, TheNigerian Metro reports.
Our correspondent learnt that the seizure, which is the single largest interception of cocaine at the Kano airport since the establishment of MAKIA Command of NDLEA in 2006 was made on Sunday, December 15, 2024, during the inward clearance of passengers on the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941 from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Confirming the arrest via a press statement issued by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA, AbAuja, on Sunday, the agency said Olisaka, who claimed to be into the import and export business, was subjected to body screening at the end of which it was discovered that he packed hundreds of cocaine pellets in his body.
“An Italy-based businesswoman, Cynthia Akaeen was on Wednesday, December 18, arrested by the NDLEA officers in the process of boarding a Royal Air Maroc flight to Italy via Addis Ababa.
The suspect was intercepted at the departure point of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport during an outward clearance of passengers going to Italy. A total of 9,190 tablets of various brands of tramadol, weighing 6.00kg, were recovered from her.
According to her, she was promised 1,000 Euros upon successful delivery of the consignment in Italy.
Babafemi also disclosed that no fewer than 418,330 pills of tramadol comprising 225mg, 100mg and tapentadol 250mg as well as 8,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were recovered from a warehouse at a building material market in Onitsha, Anambra State on Tuesday, December 17, when the NDLEA operatives raided the market following credible intelligence.
At the Tincan Island port in Lagos, a total of 180,000 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered on Wednesday, 18th December, from a container, which originated from Mundra, India The seizure was made during a joint examination of the container by men of the NDLEA, Customs, DSS, police, and other security agencies at the port, while a suspect, Makata Emmanuel, who is the consignee and notify party, was promptly taken into custody.
A total of 293,000 capsules of tramadol, a pistol and 26 rounds of 7.65mm of live ammunition were recovered from the duo of Ishaya Wabba, 54, and Samaila Audu, 44, when they were arrested in a Toyota Sienna bus at Pompomari Bypass, Maiduguri, Borno state, while another suspect, Sanusi Abdul Hamid, 37, was nabbed at Gwange area of the state capital with 260, 000 capsules of the same psychoactive substance on Monday 16th December.
A 35-year-old suspect, Modu Kolera, was equally arrested on Wednesday, 18th December at the custom area of Maiduguri with 8.5kg cannabis; 5,000 pills of tramadol; 7,500 tabs of diazepam; 14,500 tablets of exol and 50 litres of ‘suck and die’, a new psychoactive substance, in his Volkswagen Golf car, marked DKW 812 AA.
While a suspect, Gafar Saminu, 30, was arrested on Wednesday, December 18, with 33.5 kilograms of cannabis sativa, at Ayete, Oyo State, the NDLEA operatives in Enugu the same day raided the Aria new market where they recovered 94kg of the same substance.
In Lagos, a consignment of 32 kilograms of ephedrine, a precursor chemical going to the South East, was recovered on Monday 16th December at the Young Shall Grow Luxury vehicles park, Maza-maza.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Wajah Girls Government Day Secondary School, Hong, Adamawa; students and staff of Government Girls Tahfizul Quran.
