A Businessman Traveling To Vietnam Was Caught Attempting To Smuggle 68 Wraps Of Cocaine At Lagos Airport.

Michael Olugbodein Abuja

A businessman based in Onitsha, Anambra State, named Ibeanusi Nosike, has recently been under observation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after excreting 68 wraps of cocaine over a span of 12 days. The arrest took place at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, following a failed attempt to board a flight to Abuja, ultimately bound for Vietnam.

According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Ibeanusi, aged 36, had been under surveillance by the agency after arriving in Lagos from his home in Onitsha the day before his arrest. He had stayed overnight in a hotel before swallowing the 68 wraps of cocaine and attempting to board a flight the next morning. However, NDLEA operatives intercepted him at the airport.

Ibeanusi was subjected to excretion observation for 12 days, during which he passed the cocaine pellets weighing a total of 1.282 kilograms. He now becomes the second individual arrested en route to Vietnam, following the previous arrest of businessman Paul Mbadugha who was apprehended at the Abuja airport.

In a separate incident, NDLEA operatives have arrested another businessman, Aligbo Chukwudi, in Onitsha following the discovery of 1.2 kilograms of cannabis concealed in a package destined for Dubai, UAE. The shipment was intercepted at the export shed of the Lagos airport.

The NDLEA has also successfully apprehended five female drug traffickers at the Seme border, as they were returning to Lagos from Ghana. The syndicate’s leader, Olaribigbe Feyisara, along with Abogun Ladidi, Osibeluwo Tolulope, Akanni Oluwatoyin, and Ajetumobi Amudalat, were caught with a total of 14 packs of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden within their bodies.

In another operation, at the Tincan seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives discovered two containers arriving from Mundra port in India. Upon examination, they found 1,596 cartons of codeine-based syrup, totaling 319,200 bottles valued at over N2.2 billion, which had been hidden within the containers.

Furthermore, the NDLEA has made several other arrests across different states in Nigeria. In Edo state, two women, Martha Owotorofa and Odion Uzordinma, were caught selling illicit drugs online. Martha was apprehended with quantities of Canadian Loud, while Odion was found in possession of 30 cups of cookies and 17 slices of cake laced with illicit substances.

Another raid operation in Oghada village, Uhunmwonde local government area of Edo state, led to the arrest of Saturday Edobor, who was found with 288.8 kilograms of cannabis.

In Lagos, a suspect named Godwill Davidson was arrested with a significant amount of drugs, including 3,834 bottles of codeine syrup, 5,200 pills of Co-Codamol, and 11,880 tablets of Rohypnol. Meanwhile, Yahaya Ibrahim was apprehended by operatives along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway in Kogi state with 42,000 pills of tramadol. Lastly, in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State, two suspects named Feranmi Bankole and Fredrick Tobiloba were arrested with 267.5 liters of skuchies and 18 grams of Canadian Loud.

The NDLEA continues to carry out their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, focused on sensitizing schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities about the dangers and consequences of drug abuse.