The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Lagos-based businessman, Nwankwo Innocent, 48, over his alleged involvement in cocaine trafficking to India.
The suspect was intercepted at the departure hall of Terminal II, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight bound for New Delhi.
A search of his check-in luggage led to the discovery of 1.550 kilogrammes of cocaine, cleverly concealed within the side walls and railings of the bag.
This was disclosed by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement issued on Sunday.
According to the statement, Nwankwo, who deals in marble in Lagos, confessed that he sold off his marble business and all his assets to raise the ₦23 million he paid for the drug consignment, hoping to resell it in India for as much as ₦100 million. He remains in NDLEA custody awaiting prosecution.
Codeine Syrup Warehouse Raided In Lagos
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, raided a warehouse within a residential compound at 20 Hakeem Dosumu Street, Ago Palace, Okota, Lagos, where they recovered 3,776 cartons — comprising 377,600 bottles — of codeine-based syrup valued at over ₦2.6 billion. The seizure was made between Friday, August 7, and Saturday, August 8.
Drug Kingpin Arrested In Ipaja With ₦972m Worth Of Colorado
On Wednesday, August 14, operatives raided the residence of a 55-year-old suspected kingpin, Shoremi Kayode, at 37 Ogundare Street, Ipaja Estate, Lagos, recovering 324 kilogrammes of Colorado — a synthetic cannabis strain — worth ₦972 million. A Mercedes-Benz and a Toyota Corolla were also recovered from him.
Arrests In Kwara, Oyo, Delta, Plateau And Kano
In Kwara State, two suspects, Abubakar Adamu, 50, and Bilyaminu Nuhu, 30, were arrested at Kam Wire, Ilorin, on Thursday, August 13, with 55.96kg of skunk recovered from a truck marked DKA 350 XL.
Along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Oyo State, NDLEA operatives on patrol arrested two other suspects, 70-year-old Abdulfatai Oyelaran and 50-year-old Abdulrauf Ajadi, on Wednesday, August 12. A search of their Toyota Sienna, marked FFA-115KA, yielded 52,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection.
Two suspects, Osaro Ikpoba, 43, and Samuel Godbless, 18, were also arrested along the Onitsha-Asaba expressway on Thursday, August 13, with 124,100 tramadol pills, 786 bottles of codeine syrup, 2,598 tablets of Rohypnol, 4,800 tablets of diazepam, 470 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 200 ampoules of tramadol injection recovered from them.
Along the Kwale-Ozoro expressway, a suspect identified as Emeka Tony, 50, was arrested on Wednesday, August 12, with 1,244 cartridges and ₦8 million cash.
In Plateau State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Corolla with registration number MKD 341 EA along the Riyom-Jos road, recovering 239,490 caps of Tramaforce, a brand of tramadol, and arresting a suspect, Kasum Sherif.
In Kano, six suspects — Okodili Ibeabuchi, 60; Onyeka Vincent, 47; Nwanko Wisdom, 36; Success Chigozie, 30; Emmanuel Jude, 27; and Chinedu Peter, 39 — were arrested along the Zaria-Kano road on Monday, August 10. A large consignment of 728,958 opioid pills, including tramadol and Rohypnol, along with 360 grams of cocaine, 99.8 grams of methamphetamine, 50 bottles of codeine syrup and 2.7kg of Loud cannabis, was recovered from them.
Still in Kano, operatives on Friday, August 14, raided Zawaciki Gida Dubu in Kumbotso Local Government Area, recovering 171 blocks of skunk weighing 106.8kg and arresting two suspects, Mustapha Iliya, 30, and Abdulwahab Abdulrashid, 24.
Cannabis Farms Destroyed In Edo
In Edo State, NDLEA destroyed 4,628.9775kg of skunk cultivated on two cannabis farms covering 1.851591 hectares at Ugboku/Igbanke forest, Orhionmwon Local Government Area. A suspect, Agholor Elebojie, 40, was arrested during the raid on Wednesday, August 12. Another suspect, Kingsley Anigala, 28, was arrested with 25.857kg of Loud cannabis and 93 grams of methamphetamine during a raid on drug joints in Oluku, Benin City, on Friday, August 14.
NDLEA Sustains Anti-Drug Advocacy
The agency said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy programme continued nationwide during the period, with sensitisation lectures held for students and staff of Madarasatu Sheikh Muhammad Rabi’u Arabic School, Kano, and Olomu Junior Secondary School, Ajah, Lagos, among other institutions.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers of the MMIA, Kano, Kwara, Edo, Plateau, Oyo and Delta Commands, as well as their counterparts nationwide, for sustaining the balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.
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