Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, Mrs. Mary Yetunde Barek, over the 13 kilogrammes of cocaine found in her luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos State.
The cocaine was discovered concealed in peels of plantain which appeared as real plantains and packed among other food items.
The suspect, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, was arrested at the departure hall of terminal 2 of the Lagos airport while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic airline flight to London on Sunday, June 28.
The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said that a thorough search of the grandmother’s bags “resulted in the discovery of 31 big wraps of cocaine which were packaged to appear like plantain hands, weighing a total of 13 kilogrammes.”
In her statement, the elderly woman was reported to have admitted full ownership of the recovered cocaine exhibits.
In another development, a 45-year-old PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, was arrested in a sting operation in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State on Monday, June 29, with a seizure of 5.80 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in walls of nine cartons of Orijin bitters, a consignment that was part of a consolidated cargo heading to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The arrest of Nwabueze in Anambra state followed the interception of 36 parcels of cocaine, with a gross weight of 5.80 kilogrammes, concealed within the walls of the herbal drink cartons.
Four suspects initially arrested in parts of Lagos during investigations included the cargo agent, Alalade Taiwo Azeez; the driver who conveyed the consignment to the cargo agent, Ndem Ogbonna Kelechi; a trader at ASPANDA market, Trade Fair Complex, Lagos who handed over the consignment to the driver for delivery to the cargo agent, Okeke Tochukwu Chimezie and an accomplice who supplied the cartons of Origin bitters used in concealing the cocaine, Igwilo Chidi Henry.
According to Babafemi, the efforts eventually paid off, leading to the unmasking of Nwabueze hiding in his village Aziora, Ozubulu, Anambra State, as the leader of the syndicate.
In Taraba, NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence on Saturday, July 4, arrested a suspect, Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, 30, with 43,980 capsules of Tramadol concealed inside two vehicle fuel tanks along Zaki-biam road Wukari Local Government Area of the state, while coming from Onitsha, Anambra state.
Two suspects: Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, were arrested in possession of 1.7 kilogrammes of methamphetamine by NDLEA officers on Thursday 2nd July during a raid operation at Gwantu, Gwantu LGA Kaduna state, while a 65-year-old suspect Francis Ifara Eja was nabbed with 231.7kg skunk at Ikwo, Ebonyi state on Saturday 4th July.
Similarly, a 75-year-old grandpa Alhaji Babani was arrested in possession of 15kg skunk at Kurgwi, Qua’anpan LGA, Plateau state on Friday 3rd July.
In Gombe, NDLEA operatives, while acting on credible intelligence on Wednesday, 1st July, arrested the duo of Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, at Kuri village, Yamaltu- Deba LGA, where they were found with 587 blocks of cannabis sativa, weighing 556 kilogrammes.
With the same level of dedication, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
These included WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Girls Secondary School, Abagana, Anambra; Government Technical College, Obe, Enugu; Adeola Odutola College, Ijebu Ode, Ogun state; and FCE Staff Demonstration School, Kabuga, Kano state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau, and Gombe Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitization activities, while he charged them and their compatriots across the country to continue to raise the operational bar.
