NDLEA thwarts attempt to export cocaine, arrests India-based nursing student
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has foiled an attempt by Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinma, a 26-year-old nursing student from India, to smuggle cocaine through Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
According to a statement from NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the suspect, a 200-level student of nursing at Noida International University in Uttar Pradesh, was caught attempting to ingest 76 wraps of cocaine. Esther was arrested late on January 16, 2025, at Royal Park Hotel, Kano, just hours before her flight to India.
NDLEA operatives intercepted the consignment during a routine patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State. A courier, 31-year-old Cosmas Okorie, was found with 76 pellets of cocaine concealed in an audio speaker. He confessed the delivery was intended for Esther, leading to her arrest in Kano.
Read also:NDLEA arrests 366 traffickers, seizes 1.56 tonnes of hard drugs
The investigation revealed Esther had been recruited by a drug cartel in India and flown to Nigeria for the holidays. She avoided visiting her family in Imo State, instead staying in hotels in Enugu and Kano, where she awaited the consignment. She admitted being promised over $5,000 for successfully delivering the drugs in India.
In a series of related operations, NDLEA agents arrested multiple suspects in different states, recovering significant quantities of illicit drugs, including cocaine, cannabis, tramadol, and methamphetamine.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the officers’ efforts and urged them to intensify their fight against drug trafficking and abuse across the country.
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