Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a cleaner at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos, Ohiagu Sunday, who leads a drug syndicate at the international wing of the airport.
He was nabbed on Tuesday, August 23, following the arrest of an intending passenger on Airpeace flight to Dubai, UAE, Obinna Jacob Osita, who was arrested with three bags, two of which contained eight blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 4.25kg concealed in cassava product, gari and crayfish. One other member of the airport syndicate who works with Ohiagu has also been arrested while operatives are after another suspect.
Investigations revealed that a Dubai-based drug dealer recruited Obinna, a 42-year-old native of Oyi Local Government Area, Anambra State to traffic the drugs and equally contracted Ohiagu, a 34-year-old airport cleaner from Orlu West Local Government Area of Imo State to create access for the unhindered passage of the trafficker.
The drug syndicate bust, which is the first drug arrest at the new terminal of the MMIA comes on the heels of the seizure of a consignment of bottles of viju and fearless energy drinks used to conceal skunk for export to Dubai, UAE, through the NAHCO export shed on Monday, August 15. A freight agent has already been arrested in connection with the seizure.
In the same vein, attempt by a syndicate to export illicit drugs through the Lagos airport on Wednesday, 24th August, was foiled during an outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airline to Oman via Addis Ababa.
A suspect Jonah Chukwuemeka was arrested with a total of 1,995 Tramadol tablets with a gross weight of 900 grams hidden in locust beans in his luggage. The bag containing the illicit substance was handed over to him at the airport by one Olagunju Abbas who was promptly arrested.
Packs of Tramadol 225mg containing 119,500 capsules were Thursday 25th August transferred to NDLEA by the Nigeria Customs, cargo wing of MMIA. The consignment had come in through Ethiopian Airline from Pakistan.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives on Saturday raided a car shop, Bolak Motors at Ewela bus stop, Oshodi in Lagos where bags of 615.2kg cannabis were recovered along with nine vehicles. Efforts are ongoing to track the car dealer, Alhaji Ismail who is currently at large.
No fewer than eight suspects were arrested and bags of illicit drugs seized from them when Akerele area of Agege, Shogunle and Mafoluku areas of Oshodi, Fagba area of Ogba, Ipodo area of Ikeja and Iyana Ipaja park were raided in the state.
In Yobe state, two suspected fake security agents taking 14kg cannabis to Maiduguri, Borno state were intercepted along Potiskum- Damaturu road. While Adetula Olarenwaju was arrested with four blocks of the substance on Thursday, 25th August, on his way from Lagos, Sadiq Garba returning from Gombe was nabbed with 22 blocks of the substance on Saturday, August 27.
No fewer than 80 blocks of cannabis sativa were recovered from an abandoned tricycle with reg. no: BAU 70 WL while 25,000 tablets of exol-5 were seized from a dealer, Usman Muhammed who was nabbed along Bauchi-Gombe road.
A raid operation at a market in Mubi, Adamawa state on Wednesday, August 24, led to the seizure of 62,360 tablets of tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 while two suspects, Sirajo Idris and Anas Abubakar were arrested same day with 107 pallets of cannabis at Kamba, a border town in Kebbi State. The skunk weighing 90kg was smuggled in from Benin Republic.
Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Edo, Delta and Lagos Commands for the arrests and seizures.
He charged them and their compatriots across the country not to rest on their oars.
