NDLEA Thwarts Cocaine Export, Arrests India-Based Nursing Student
According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinma, a 200-level nursing student at the Noida International University in Uttar Pradesh, India, attempted to swallow 76 wraps of cocaine hours before her return flight to the South Asian nation via the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) Kano.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, and made available to Channels Television on Sunday.
According to him, Esther was scheduled to travel back to Delhi, India on Qatar Airways flight 1432 on Friday, January 17, 2025, but she was detained in her room at 11:30 pm on Thursday, January 16, at the Royal Park Hotel Sabon Garin Kano while she was awaiting the cocaine consignment she was supposed to consume the day before her flight the following morning.
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“Her lid was blown open when NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi state intercepted 31-year-old Cosmas Okorie in a commuter bus traveling from Lagos to Kano on January 16th.
” Inside his black polythene bag was an audio speaker, which was used to conceal 76 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.340 kilograms, which he was going to deliver to Esther in Kano. The female nursing university student was later arrested in Kano as a result of a quick follow-up procedure, according to the statement.
Esther claimed in her statement that the drug cartel she worked for paid for her trip to Nigeria so she could enjoy her Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Esther did not travel to her home state of Imo because her parents knew she was there, so she spent two weeks there staying in Enugu, where she spent two weeks before being flown to Kano and Abuja, where she spent her final two weeks before being taken on Qatar Airways’ flight to India on Friday morning.
She was reportedly said to have claimed that after the illicit consignment was delivered in India, she would receive more than $ 5, 000.
In other operations along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja highway, NDLEA officers arrested four suspects: Abdullahi Umar, Tijjani Samaila, Lucky Obotte and Abubakar Haruna, who were heading to Maiduguri, Borno state, Kano, and Abuja in commuter vehicles with over 38, 000 pills of tramadol 225mg, 250mg and 100mg concealed in audio speakers and cloths.
On Tuesday, January 14th, a special operations unit of the Agency raided the hideout of a 59-year-old Nwokedi Emeka Jonas in the state’s Ojodu-Berger area to find 10 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 4.9 kg as well as various paper bags he uses to dispense the psychoactive substance in retail quantities. Printed on them include street names and codes such as ‘ Dead man’, ‘ Gelato top shelf smoke’, ‘ Topshelf’, and ‘ Gelato cake ‘
The statement added that” In other operations in Lagos, operatives of the state Command of the Agency on Wednesday 15th , January raided a house in Igando New Town area of Alimosho where they arrested three suspects: Isaac Vincent, 32, Ebube Ikechi, 25, and Christopher Usifoh, 43, from whom 1, 610kg skunk, a strain of cannabis and 6kg pills of tramadol were recovered. A delivery van and three other vehicles that were used to distribute the illegal drugs were also recovered from the home.
“Two suspects: Olashile Okoya and Mohammed Ibrahim were arrested on Saturday 18th , January when NDLEA officers raided their home at 5A Addison Palmer, Cadogan Estate, Castle Rock Avenue, Osapa, Lekki Lagos, where 28 kilograms of Cannadian Loud were recovered following credible intelligence.
Saheed Sulaiman was found with a 67 kg skunk on January 16 when NDLEA agents raided his Edumare Street, Lagos Island hideout, and Adamu Abdullahi’s stash of various illegal substances was found on January 14th when NDLEA agents raided the Jerry Irabi Estate, Lekki hideout. They include 3.7 litres of codeine syrup, 10, 000 pills of tramadol, 1, 670 tablets of rohypnol, 6.5kg cannabis, 3, 100 tablets of diazepam, 10, 090 tablets of Molly, 5, 500 tabs of Exol-5, 1.2kg crisps of wrapped methamphetamine and a monetary exhibit of ₦623, 650.00.
“In Kano, two suspects: Usama Adamu, 25, and Isah Ibrahim, 29, were on Friday 17th , January arrested at Dawanau, Dawakin Tofa LGA where a total of 7.6kg skunk, 78 tubes of rubber solution and 356 bottles of ‘ suck and die’, a new psychoactive substance were recovered from them. In another raid in Kano, Usman Isa, 29, was nabbed along Zaria road with 114 blocks of skunk weighing 49.8kg.
” Three suspects: Lawali Isiaka, Umoru Isiaka and Mohammed Kabiru were on Wednesday 15th , January arrested by NDLEA operatives with 390 tablets of Molly and 65.5kg of cannabis at Bode Saadu in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State, while Samuel Ogbu, 24, was nabbed with 25, 000 pills of tramadol by operatives along Wukari- Zaki Ibiam road, Wukari LGA, Taraba state.
“In series of raids in Abuja, a suspect, Rufa’i Hashimu, 27,  , was arrested at Gwarimpa village area of the FCT with 118 bottles of codeine-based syrup, while 13 others were nabbed in other locations such as: Area1 IDP camp, Gishiri, Zuba, Dei -Dei, AYA, Lagos Street Garki, Karu, and Lugbe. Recovered from them include different quantities of tramadol, diazepam, and methamphetamine.
Over the past week, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their campaigns against drug abuse, WADA, education, and community outreach, among others. These include: WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of NUD Basic Primary School, Orile-Igbon, Oyo state, Corpus Christi College, Ilawe Ekiti, Holy Family International Schools, Calabar, Kudam Islamic School, Osogbo, Business Apprenticeship Training Centre, Kankia, Katsina, while Abia state command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to Governor Alex Otti, among others.
Source: Channels TV
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