The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two Brazil returnees, Ofoma Sunday and Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu, for attempting to smuggle illicit drugs into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday that the suspects excreted a total of 116 wraps of heroin and cocaine after days of observation in custody.
Ofoma, 46, was arrested on September 16 on arrival from Sao Paulo, Brazil, via an Ethiopian Airlines flight. A body scan revealed he had ingested narcotics, and he later excreted 111 wraps of heroin weighing 1.45kg. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of 55-year-old Nweke Jude Chuckwudi at a hotel in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, where the drugs were to be recovered.
Similarly, 45-year-old Ukachukwu was intercepted on September 19 during inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers from Brazil. He was found to have inserted cocaine into his body and expelled five wraps weighing 145 grams under observation.
In related operations, NDLEA operatives arrested a businesswoman, Okolonkwo Ebere Theresa, on September 14 for concealing 1.40kg of methamphetamine in her underwear while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha. On September 15, 2.3kg of methamphetamine hidden in food items bound for Hong Kong was seized, while cocaine concealed in seven phone chargers heading to New Zealand was intercepted on September 18.
Major raids across Adamawa, Zamfara, Edo, and Taraba also yielded large quantities of tramadol, cannabis, and other illicit substances, with multiple arrests recorded.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), described the seizures as “a significant milestone” in the agency’s effort to dismantle drug trafficking syndicates. He commended the officers involved and urged them to sustain the momentum in the ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
