National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives apprehended a 40-year-old businessman, Ejike Chibuke Solomon, with 1.45 kilograms of cocaine at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Solomon was arrested on Saturday while attempting to board an Ethiopia Airlines Flight 950 to Vietnam through Addis Ababa. NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, revealed on Sunday that the narcotics were concealed in the suspect’s luggage and were discovered during a thorough search.
Solomon claimed to be on a business trip to Vietnam, according to the statement. In a related development, NDLEA operatives targeted a syndicate dealing in methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin in Lagos. A raid on the residence of Esimone Amachukwu Christopher in Ejigbo led to the discovery of 10.012 kilograms of methamphetamine in possession of his associate, 40-year-old Evelyn Nneka Okem. Another operation in Festac town resulted in the arrest of Ebele Edwin Iwuegbunam, 45, who was found with 429.5 grams of cocaine and 7 kilograms of heroin.
In Kogi state, NDLEA officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway, discovering 28 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa, 100 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup, and 500 tablets of diazepam. The consignment was concealed in three plastic drums covered with cattle fats, headed to Jos Plateau state. In other states, NDLEA operations yielded the recovery of 169 kilograms of cannabis in Ogun, 25 cartons of tramadol containing 325,000 pills in Lagos, and the arrest of Abdullahi Garba Khalil in Kano with 2,745,000 capsules of pregabalin.
Furthermore, the 243 Recce Battalion, Nigerian Army, Badagry, transferred 27 sacks of cannabis sativa weighing 1,110 kilograms, recovered at Ajido by soldiers, to the Seme Special Area Command of NDLEA. In Borno state, Hassan Muhammad, 34, was arrested with 44,950 pills of tramadol. NDLEA operatives raided a drug joint in Abia state, resulting in the arrest of Ifeanyi Uche, 37, with various quantities of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the officers and men for their outstanding achievements, highlighting their dedication to the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign across the country. The NDLEA intensifies its efforts in combating drug-related crimes and raising awareness about the consequences of drug abuse.
