By Emma Njoku and Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said its operatives have intercepted 22 blocks of heroin weighing 23.55 kilograms concealed in packs of Nestle Cerelac baby food, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The anti-narcotic agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, who made the disclosure in a statement, yesterday, said the consignment with a street value of over N4.5 billion came from Johannesburg, South Africa on board South African Airways flight, on Wednesday, June 29, as part of a consolidated cargo that arrived the SAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport.
Babafemi further stated: “After series of follow up operations that led to the arrest of two freight agents, the actual receiver of the drug consignment, Chike Okeke Eweni, who distributes the substance for his South Africa based partner was arrested the following day, Thursday, June 30, at a logistics warehouse in Ajao Estate, Ikeja. Chike, who hails from Anaocha LGA, Anambra state, claimed during a preliminary interview that he’s also into fish farming.
“Before the arrest of Chike, NDLEA officers at the airport had, on Monday, June 27 arrested a former driver with a public transport company, BRT, Muyiwa Babalola Bolujoko, for ingesting 90 pellets of cocaine. He was arrested at the screening point before boarding a Qatar Airways flight en route Doha to Sharjah, with his trip expected to terminate in Dubai, UAE.
“The 39-year-old from Ijebu South LGA, Ogun State, was placed under excretion observation after a body scan result confirmed drug ingestion. While in custody, the suspect excreted all the 90 pellets in four excretions. He claimed he left his N60, 000 per month job as BRT driver, in February, and decided to work as drug courier to raise funds to buy a shuttle bus, popularly called ‘Korope’, in Lagos, to continue his transport business.”
Operatives of the NDLEA, also, on Thursday, June 30 intercepted an inbound consignment of khat leaves, which arrived at the NAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport on Royal Air Maroc flight from the Middle East. A total of 71 cartons of dried khat leaves with a gross weight of 2,434.3 kg were discovered in the cargo.
In the same vein, anti-narcotic officers of the agency, last Thursday, seized 36 parcels of colorado, a variant of cannabis, with a total weight of 19.30kg, which arrived at the NAHCO import shed from Los Angeles, US, on a Delta Airlines flight. After a series of follow up operations in which four people were arrested, the actual owner of the drug consignment, Abibu Afis Sola, was eventually nabbed on Friday, July 1, in the Gbagada area of Lagos.
In Rivers state, NDLEA operatives, last Wednesday, arrested a 68-year-old woman, Mrs. Celina Ekeke, at Obunku community, Oyigbo LGA, with 231.2kg cannabis, while one Shedrack Eze was arrested the following day at Yankarfe, Zaria, Kaduna state, with 250,000 tablets of Exol 5, weighing 75kg. In Borno state, Usman Haruna, 27, was arrested at BCG checkpoint, in Biu, on Saturday with 19.7kg cannabis.
Meanwhile, chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) has expressed satisfaction with the exemplary performance of the officers and men of the MMIA command in the past week, while also commending those of Rivers, Kaduna and Borno for being vigilant. He charged them and others across the country to remain steps ahead of the tricks by the desperate drug cartels.