Story from Kenneth AFOR, Lagos

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) have arrested a suspected drugs carrier, Mrs Anita Ugochinyere Ogbonna, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja for concealing 12 pellets of cocaine in her private part.

The mother of three, based in Brazil was arrested on Friday night on arrival in Abuja via Qatar Air from Sao Paulo, Brazil through Doha.

READ ALSO: NDLEA intercepts secondary school dropout, varsity graduate for drug trafficking at Abuja, Kano airports

In a statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director of Publicity, Media and Advocacy, upon a proper search, 12 wraps of cocaine inserted in her private part were extracted while another 88 pellets stuffed in socks were discovered hidden in her handbag.

“During interrogation, Mrs Ogbonna who is a mother of three children, and a resident of Brazil, claimed she lost her husband three years ago. She confessed she decided to traffic the illicit drugs to raise money for the burial of her father scheduled for 22nd July in Imo state. She said she was contracted by a man named Emeka alias KC, who is also based in Brazil and gave her the drug to deliver in Nigeria for a fee of $3,000. She said she pushed the wraps of cocaine into her private part after her attempts to swallow the pellets failed,” Babafemi stated.

“The suspect, who owns a shop where she sells African foodstuffs in Brazil, further claimed she had to drop her three young children with a Kenyan lady who is her neighbour in Brazil before she embarked on the quick-money-journey,” he added.

Elsewhere, narcotic officers attached to a courier company in Lagos have intercepted 500grams of ketamine concealed in the walls of a wooden box filled with bitter kola that originated from Douala, Cameroon and heading to the United States of America, while another 500grams of methamphetamine hidden in automobile parts going to Australia were also seized at the firm.

Meanwhile, over 410 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs have been intercepted and seized by NDLEA operatives in Plateau and Kwara states. A commercial bus with registration number EKY 184 CQ Lagos was intercepted in Plateau with Diazepam weighing 39 kilogrammes; Exol-5 tablets weighing 35 kilograms and 1.7 kilograms of Flumtrazepam tablets discovered in the vehicle.

A follow-up operation led to the arrest of a drug dealer, Livinus Nnadi at Bauchi motor park on 26th June 2021 while on the same day, a blue Sharon minibus with registration number FKG 539 GR, going to Bauchi from Jos was also intercepted and 7.9 kilograms of pentazocine injection recovered from it.

In the same vein, operatives of the Kwara state command of the Agency have recovered 67.2kg of Tramadol heading to the Benin Republic at a checkpoint close to Ilesha in Osun state while a 53-year-old drug trafficker, Zakiru Abdullahi has been arrested on Ilorin-Jebba highway on Thursday 1st July, with 260 kilograms of pentazocine injection meant for Kaduna.

Reacting to all the successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended officers and men of Abuja airport, Plateau, Kwara commands of the Agency as well as those in the Directorate of Investigations and Operations, DOGI, attached to the courier firms for their diligence and commitment to work.

“Let me again commend all the gallant and vigilant officers and men in these commands and DOGI for their resilience and commitment to the mandate President Muhammadu Buhari has given us in the Agency to rid our towns, communities and even forests of illicit drugs and the criminal elements profiting from the unconscionable trade.

“With the recent launch of the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, we must all aim for the ultimate goal of winning this battle sooner than expected. We can and we must,” Gen. Marwa charged on Sunday.