By Ibironke Ariyo
The NDLEA arrested a 67-year-old drug trafficker, Clement Chukwuemeka at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Oct. 3 for ingesting 100 wraps of cocaine.
Chukwuemeka told NDLEA operatives that he engaged in the crime to raise enough money to marry a new wife and start life afresh after wasting 30 years of his life in Brazil, Ethiopia and Thailand.
Director, Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi stated on Sunday in Abuja that Chukwuemeka was arrested during an inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa.
He was taken in for body scan which revealed multiple pellets in his stomach, he stated.
“While under observation, he excreted 100 wraps of cocaine weighing 2.195kg in four excretions.
“In his statement, he claimed to have spent 30 years in Brazil, Ethiopia and Thailand, while he was married, but lost his wife and had no child.
“He added that that was why he decided to go into drug trafficking to raise enough money to marry a new wife and start life afresh,’’ Babafemi stated.
He added that on the same Oct. 3, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 45-year-old woman, Bilkisu Bello, at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, while preparing to board a flight to Saudi Arabia.
Bilikisu told the operatives that pellets of cocaine given to her to swallow before her flight were kept in a house in Farawa area of Kano, Babafemi stated.
“When she led NDLEA officers to the house, 52 wraps of the illicit substance with a total weight of 767grams were recovered,’’ he added.
NDLEA operatives, supported by troops of the Nigerian Army, Civil Defence Corps and Amotekun personnel stormed James Town, Ogunmakin in Obafemi Owode local government area of Ogun, also on Oct. 3.
They located and destroyed 10.38 tonnes of Indian hemp covering more than 4.152 hectares in the town, Babafemi stated.
“On their return trip from the operation, the team intercepted a truck carrying a 40ft container loaded with logs of wood.
“A search of the container led to the recovery of two bags of Indian hemp, weighing 20kg.
“Six suspects in the truck, Ahmed Yusuf, Olaniyi Babatunde, Adedeji Babatunde, Richard John, Osolale Olamilekan and Abdulazeez Saied, were arrested,’’ he added.
Babfemi stated also that on Oct. 1, NDLEA operatives raided Obi Camp in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo.
Thirty sacks of skunk, weighing 300kgs and concealed in charcoal, were evacuated from an old dilapidated mud house in the camp, he stated.
NDLEA also identified and destroyed two Indian hemp farms measuring 1.2 hectares at Igbanke Forest in Orhiomwon Local Government Area of Edo on Oct. 6.
Babafemi stated that four suspects, Tersoo Zaria (28), Ifeanyi Osai (53), Moses David (19), and Daniel Gabriel (20), were arrested in connection with the farms.
He added that a suspect, Auwal Bindow was arrested on Oct. 6 on Bauchi-Gombe Road with 50,000 capsules of tramadol.
Babafemi stated also that NDLEA operatives nabbed one Anuoluwapo Iyanu (32) on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Oct. 4 with 52 blocks of compressed Indian hemp shaped like pawpaw.
The hemp weighed 30kg, he also stated.
NAN
