Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two Nigerian men based in France at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after they allegedly swallowed 200 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.46 kilogrammes.
The suspects, Aliocus Godian Odife and Sam Blackborn, were intercepted on Wednesday, October 28, during departure clearance for an Air France flight to Paris. They had reportedly come to Nigeria on holiday.
NDLEA said body scans revealed foreign objects in their stomachs, after which they were arrested and placed under observation. The agency announced the arrests in a statement on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
Odife, who lives in France and works in a factory, arrived in Nigeria on October 21. He allegedly admitted swallowing 110 pellets of cocaine during interrogation and excreted all of them under observation. The wraps tested positive for cocaine and weighed 1.901 kilogrammes.
Blackborn was stopped in the departure hall after his scan showed similar results. He reportedly confessed to ingesting 90 pellets, all of which he excreted. They weighed 1.559 kilogrammes and also tested positive for cocaine.
Other operations
The arrests were among several operations by the NDLEA across the country, which led to the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs and live ammunition.
- Abuja–Kaduna Expressway: Aisha Isah was arrested at a tollgate with 266 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition. The agency did not say where the ammunition was headed or who the intended recipient was.
- Zaria–Kano Expressway: Ifeanyi Egwolonwu, 68, was arrested at Gwargwaje, Zaria, with 2,770 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 100 ampoules of diazepam injection, 11,000 tablets of diazepam and 4,500 tablets of Exol-5.
- Lagos: On October 25, operatives intercepted a white Volkswagen LT 28 bus along Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, with 537 kilogrammes of skunk. The same day, a brown J5 bus was stopped along the Gbagada–Oshodi Expressway, with 439 kilogrammes of the substance recovered. Both vehicles were reportedly moving skunk from Lagos Island to the Mainland.
- Oyo State: Oguntona Nasiru, 46, and Soji Balogun, 47, were arrested on October 29 while allegedly loading 554 kilogrammes of skunk into a Volvo truck along Idere Road, Igboora. The operation followed up on a suspected dealer identified as ‘Omo Oba’, who escaped an earlier raid on October 25, in which 309.5 kilogrammes of cannabis, popularly known as Ghanaian Loud, was seized.
- Kano State: On October 26, operatives raided a location in Tsamiya, Gezawa, and recovered 247,500 tablets of diazepam (57.7kg) and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5 (38.7kg). Two days later in Dorayi, Ziya’ulhaq Abdullahi, 35, and Garba Muhammed, 52, were arrested with 19,250 tablets of tramadol 225mg (13.6kg). Another raid at Tashan Banke led to the arrest of seven suspects, including Faisal Adamu, and the recovery of 178.85kg of cannabis, plus diazepam, tramadol, Exol-5 and pregabalin.
- Ondo State: On October 25, operatives raided cannabis farms in Ijare Forest and arrested four suspects, including Bassey Okon, 24, Abraham Edet, 20, and Oto Udo, 24. They recovered 16 bags of processed cannabis weighing 180kg.
- Edo State: On October 28, operatives backed by soldiers raided Eko Camp in Ilushi, Esan South East LGA, and destroyed a 1.646-hectare cannabis plantation with an estimated yield of 4,115.53kg. Christiana Uboi, 50, was arrested with 301kg of processed cannabis, and another 176kg was recovered.
- Sokoto State: On October 31, the NDLEA Zone 7 Command arrested Ibrahim Ayuba, 68, with 236.6kg of skunk following an intelligence-led operation.
The agency added that its commands nationwide are continuing public sensitisation under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, targeting schools, religious institutions, workplaces and communities.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved, especially those who intercepted the two couriers in Abuja. He said the arrests should serve as a warning to Nigerians abroad who believe foreign residence can shield them from trafficking investigations.
Marwa noted that officers at the country’s entry and exit points remain vigilant, and cautioned against risking life and liberty by ingesting drugs for money. He also directed officers to sustain the crackdown on trafficking networks while intensifying prevention and awareness campaigns.
READ ALSO:
- Tinubu Reaffirms Commitment To Nigeria’s Development, Promises Prosperity And Youth Investment
- Iran weighs reopening Hormuz in two days if US meets demands
- Nathaniel Bassey becomes first African gospel act to hit 1bn YouTube views
- Customs Plans AI Tools To Track Fake News, Identify Online Scammers
- 2027: Betta Edu shares N50,000 each with 500 Cross River women, promises 1.5m votes for Tinubu
