*Seizes nearly 10 tonnes of drugs nationwide

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Onyekwere, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

Onyekwere, 47, was apprehended last Thursday at the airport’s arrival hall during the inward screening of passengers on a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg.

 NDLEA officials said they acted on intelligence that led to his being stepped aside for further checks.

A body scan conducted on the suspect indicated the presence of concealed substances. 

“A subsequent strip search uncovered a large wrap of a white powdery substance, later confirmed to be cocaine, strapped to his right thigh. 

“Further examination revealed two additional wraps hidden inside the soles of the flat shoes he was wearing,” the anti-narcotics agency stated.

In total, NDLEA officers recovered three wraps of cocaine weighing 1.6 kilogrammes.

During questioning, the suspect reportedly admitted purchasing the drugs in Brazil with plans to sell them in Nigeria. 

He claimed the proceeds were intended to expand his business and support the naming ceremony of his newborn child. 

Onyekwere, who resides in São Paulo, Brazil, said he has lived there since 2008 and has operated a toy business for several years.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos, intercepted a container shipment last Wednesday, taking into custody 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighing 1,183 kilogrammes.

According to a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, “the drugs, imported from Montreal, Canada, were concealed inside a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix vehicle and were discovered during a joint inspection involving NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies”.

In Niger State, NDLEA officers intercepted a long-haul truck along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway in the early hours last Tuesday. 

Three suspects—Andy Chidogu (49), Kenneth Ogene (45), and Sadiq Olanrewaju (27)—were arrested with 176 bags of skunk cannabis weighing 2,735 kilogrammes, alongside one kilogramme of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis variant.

Babafemi said investigations revealed that the truck driver, Kenneth Ogene, had transported flour from Lagos to Ekpoma, Edo State, before agreeing to convey the illicit drugs for a fee of ₦1.7 million.

He said further operations in Edo State led to the arrest of Shaibu Yusuf on the Auchi–Abuja Expressway with 66 bags of skunk weighing 792 kilogrammes concealed in charcoal bags.

In another development, NDLEA operatives, supported by personnel of the Nigerian Army, raided a cannabis farm at Ebora Camp in Ilushi, Esan South East Local Government Area, destroying over 4,063 kilogrammes of skunk cultivated on 1.6 hectares of land. 

An additional 328 kilogrammes of processed cannabis and seeds were recovered, while four suspects were arrested.

Babafemi said operations in Ondo State resulted in the arrest of two suspects in Akure North with 473 kilogrammes of skunk, while Kano State recorded the seizure of 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection from Abdullahi Usman. 

Another suspect, Musa Shuaibu, was arrested with 4,390 tramadol pills in the Gaya area of the state.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Oragwan Ekene at Alaba with 15.5 kilogrammes of skunk en route to Anambra State. 

Also, 3.5 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered from the luggage of a traveller arriving from Cotonou, Benin Republic, at the Seme border.

In Anambra State, NDLEA officers intercepted a cement-laden truck at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, last Wednesday. 

A search revealed 345.2 kilogrammes of skunk concealed among bags of cement. 

One of the occupants, Abum Okeke, 42, was arrested.

Babafemi said operations in Ondo State resulted in the arrest of two suspects in Akure-North with 473 kilogrammes of skunk, while Kano State recorded the seizure of 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection from Abdullahi Usman. 

Another suspect, Musa Shuaibu, was arrested with 4,390 tramadol pills in the Gaya area of the state.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Oragwan Ekene at Alaba with 15.5 kilogrammes of skunk en route to Anambra State. 

Similarly, 3.5 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered from the luggage of a traveller arriving from Cotonou, Benin Republic, at the Seme border.