By Ken Chiwendu
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a 42-year-old Angolan businessman, Mbala Dajou Abuba, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, for attempting to traffic a large consignment of cocaine, which he ingested, to Istanbul, Turkey.
NDLEA Spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said on Sunday that Mr Abuba, who is from the Zaire province in Angola, was arrested on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at the screening point of the Kano airport while trying to board Egypt Air flight MS 880 to Istanbul, Turkey, via Cairo.
After his body scan result confirmed he had ingested an illicit drug, he was thereafter placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 120 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.829 kilograms in seven excretions.
In his statement, the suspect claimed he was in the business of township delivery services in Angola before delving into the illicit drug trade.
“A similar attempt by an auto spare parts dealer, Okeke Ebuka Igwe, to send two parcels of 1.10kg cocaine concealed in vehicle propellers to Angola through the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos, was thwarted by NDLEA operatives who arrested him on Monday, February 24 following credible intelligence.
“During an interview with the suspect, he claimed that he is a businessman selling auto parts in ASPANDA, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo area of Lagos.
“The bid by another suspect, Ezechi Iyke Cyprian, to move a large consignment of cocaine weighing 5.40 kilograms to Owerri, Imo state in his Toyota Sienna bus on Sunday, February 23, was frustrated by operatives of a special operations unit of NDLEA who arrested him following weeks of intelligence and surveillance.
“At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Friday, February 28, discovered a total of 128 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis concealed in two mattresses in the trunk of a Toyota Venza car imported from Canada.
“The discovery of the 63.75kg consignment was made during a joint examination of a targeted container marked TCNU 1945861 from Montreal, Canada, by NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies.
“The consignee of the shipment, 44-year-old Bamidele Joseph, has been arrested and taken into custody.
In Delta state, NDLEA operatives supported by the military on Thursday, February 27, stormed a forest in the Innam-Abbi/Orogun community, Ndokwa West local government area, where they destroyed over 50,000kg of cannabis on a 20-hectare farmland.
Five suspects were arrested during the raid: Augustine Subaru, 45; Ukoba Malachukwu, 53; Odalonu Emmanuel, 40; Esuabom Macaulay, 35; and Itoje Safe, 54.
In another operation in Delta, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Mercedes-Benz truck marked AWK 791 ZJ along the Abraka-Orogun road on Friday, February 28.
A search of the truck recovered 101 bags of skunk, weighing 1,111kg.
In Edo state, NDLEA officers supported by the military on Saturday, March 1, raided the Okpuje community in Owan West LGA, where they destroyed over 100 jumbo bags of skunk in warehouses and recovered a total of 1,409.5kg of the psychoactive substance for the prosecution of arrested suspects: Oikelomen Osere Monday, 38 and Glory Iroyo, 42.
While a suspect, Michael Omoloki, 46, was arrested with 58.5 kilograms of skunk at the Ibadan end of the Lagos -Ibadan expressway, Oyo state.
In Kwara state, operatives of the agency on Monday, February 24, nabbed a Beninoise Lawali Mohammed with 2,980 tablets of tramadol and dozens of diazepam pills at Eiyenkorin expressway, Ilorin.
In Osun, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Ibadan/ Gbongan expressway on Thursday, February 27, intercepted a consignment of 1.05kg skunk concealed in detergent soap and biscuit cartons. Sunday Ogbu, 45, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
A suspect, Ayuba Mustapha, 30, was arrested at Tsafe, Zamfara state, with 24,700 pills of tramadol on Sunday, February 23.
In Borno state, Mustapha Shettima, 50, was arrested by NDLEA operatives with 31kg skunk, 1,000 pills of tramadol and N720,000 monetary exhibit along Bama road, Maiduguri on Wednesday, February 26, while Adamu Idris, 40, was nabbed along Zaria road, Kano, same day with 140 blocks of cannabis weighing 73.5kg.
With the same vigour, Commandos and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities, among other places, in the past week.
These include a WADA enlightenment lecture to the students and staff of Ansarudeen Junior Secondary School, Ojuelegba, Lagos; Loretto Girls Special Science School, Adazinnukwu, Anambra state; and Tudun Murtala Special Primary School, Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, among others.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of MMIA, MAKIA, SOU, Tincan, Delta, Edo, Oyo, Kano, Osun, Borno, Zamfara and Kwara Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures.
Marwa stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country, especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts, are well appreciated.
