A 40-year-old Paris-bound ‘businessman’, Sherif Egbo Ally, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The Madrid, Spain-based ‘businessman’ was arrested by the NDLEA agents at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja while attempting to board an Air France flight to Paris, France, after they discovered he had ingested illicit drugs.
The ‘businessman’, Egbo Ally, was arrested on Saturday, 14 October after body scanner revealed he had wraps of illicit drugs in his stomach.
The ‘businessman’ was subsequently placed under observation at the agency’s exhibit recovery room where he excreted 93 pellets of heroin weighing 2.222 kilograms.
In his statement, Egbo Ally claimed he works at a chicken hatchery farm in Madrid, Spain and is also into drug trafficking business.
The arrest of the ‘businessman’ was contained in a press release by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, detailing the activities of the agency in the past one week.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO Imports Shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos, last Monday, seized a consignment of 10 cartons containing 500,000 pills of tramadol 225mg branded as tapentadol.
The cargo, which was shipped from India through Qatar Airways with airway bill number MAWB 319-01227236, was purported to be a transit cargo to Monrovia, Liberia.
“However, the lid was blown open through partnership and real time intelligence sharing mechanisms between NDLEA and its Liberian counterpart,” it was stated.
Also, attempt by Ngene Chinecherem Oscar, an intending passenger to export 11.100kgs of skunk and 600grams of tramadol was thwarted by NDLEA officers.
Oscar attempted to travel with the illicit substances concealed in foodstuffs to Muscat, Oman on Qatar Airways through the Lagos Airport.
In another operation, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI) attached to courier companies, last Sunday intercepted 1kg methamphetamine.
The drug was concealed in containers of body cream going to New Zealand as well as another consignment of 2.5kgs cocaine and phenacetin hidden in walls of a carton heading to Saudi Arabia.
Two more seizures, including 112grams of dimethyl sulfone and 583grams of cocaine and phenacetin were made at another courier company in Lagos last Wednesday.
The dimethyl sulfone was concealed in the hollow of a motor driving shaft going to New Zealand, while the consignment of cocaine and phenacetin was packed into a bottle of body cream heading to Saudi Arabia.
In Imo State, operatives, last Sunday, intercepted a Mercedes Benz container truck marked ABN 418 YN parked in an isolated area along Owerri – Onitsha Expressway.
“A search of the abandoned truck led to the recovery of 168 bags of skunk weighing 1, 854 kilograms,” it was disclosed.
Not less than 1,381.3kgs of the same substance were seized in four interdiction operations in parts of Edo State including, it was stated in the release.
These included Ekpon community in Igueben Local Government Area; Iguiye Forest in Ovia North East Local Government Area.
A suspect, Monday Samuel, was arrested at Iruekpen, in Ndokwa West Local Government Area.
The duo of Obune Prince and Chika Obi were arrested at Egwalor Village in Onwude Local Government Area, while their Audi 80 salon car marked BEN 406 CL loaded with cannabis sativa, was recovered.
An ex-convict, Aminu Suleiman (46), was arrested along with Haruna Abdurrahaman (41) and Ojo Joseph Esezobor (34) at Gadar Tamburawa area of Kano State, on Saturday 14 October, while 106kgs of cannabis were recovered from them.
Aminu was first arrested with 22kgs of cannabis on 3 June, 2022 and convicted by the court on 24 November, 2022.
Four other suspects- Inusa Fugu Ali, Yahaya Musa, Abba Audu, Ali Abubakar, and Bunu Kyari- were also arrested at Gadar Tamburawa area of Kano last Monday for dealing in 75.3kgs of skunk.
Operatives of the Zone J Command of the agency seized 478kgs of cannabis in a forest in Ikere Ekiti last Friday.
Ondo State command of the agency recovered a total of 928kgs of the same substance in a bush by Shagari Market, along Ifon-Owo Expressway, and Ibola Camp, Ipele Forest.
A suspect, Sani Mohammed (31), was arrested on Saturday with 182kgs of cannabis at Njimtilo, along Maiduguri-Damaturu Road, Borno State.
Commands across the 36 states and the FCT equally continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation lectures in schools, communities, work places and others.
Some of these include WADA sensitisation lecture for students of Ogborhill Secondary School, Aba, Abia State;
WADA sensitisation lecture to Students of Nana Aisha Memorial Islamiyya Secondary School, Buba-Shongo, Gombe;
WADA sensitisation lecture at Awe High School, Awe, same at Smiles and Surprises Academy, Onna, Akwa Ibom;
WADA sensitisation lecture for students of Sango High School, Ijoko, Ogun State.
Zone C Command of NDLEA, along with Kwara State Command also had WADA sensitisation town hall meeting with principals of secondary schools from five local government areas of the state.
Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) has commended the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, Imo, Ondo, Kano, Edo, Zone J Commands and DOGI for the arrests and seizures of the past week.
He charged them and their compatriots across all formations of the agency to continue to remain vigilant and double their efforts.
Marwa said the charge became necessary especially with the desperation of criminal networks to make money by all means towards the end of the year season.
