A clothing trader at Lagos’ Balogun Market has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine to the United Kingdom, in a nationwide anti-narcotics operation that also led to the seizure of illicit drugs worth over ₦9.3 billion.
The suspect, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, 55, was arrested on Thursday, July 23, after operatives linked him to an alleged cocaine export syndicate following the interception of 3.30 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in the walls of cartons used to package food items bound for the United Kingdom.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the cocaine consignment was intercepted at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Wednesday, July 22.
Babafemi said investigations initially led to the arrest of three cargo agents—Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim—who handled the shipment. Their arrest subsequently led to the apprehension of Kenneth Okakpu, who delivered the consignment for export.
He said Okakpu’s arrest enabled investigators to identify Onuigbo as the alleged kingpin of the syndicate.
“Okakpu’s arrest provided the lead to identifying Onuigbo as the kingpin behind the syndicate and his eventual arrest while attempting to send another consignment of cocaine to the UK,” Babafemi said.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives arrested Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, 31, at her Surulere residence on Tuesday, July 21, following the seizure of her 2.80 kilogrammes of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, which arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight a day earlier.
The agency also intercepted 2,240,000 pills of Tapentadol 250mg, with an estimated street value of over ₦2.2 billion, during a joint examination of a shipment from India that arrived aboard an Air Maroc flight at the Lagos airport.
Babafemi said the seizure followed actionable intelligence processed by the agency and came days after operatives intercepted a consignment of tramadol concealed in containers of black soap destined for the United Kingdom.
At the Apapa Seaport, NDLEA operatives uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud, weighing 2,388.5 kilogrammes and valued at over ₦7.1 billion, concealed inside three imported vehicles during a joint examination of a container.
In Katsina State, operatives arrested Mustapha Sani, 30, during a patrol at Baure in Safana Local Government Area after he was found with 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition, comprising 200 rounds of 7.62mm and 123 rounds of 7.6mm ammunition.
Another suspect, Abubakar Amadu, 30, was arrested during a stop-and-search operation at Jere along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition concealed inside kegs of red oil.
Babafemi said both suspects had been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Ilushi community, Esan South-East Local Government Area, recovering 1,286 kilogrammes of cannabis and 86 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds. Two suspects, Ojore Onweze, 45, and George Agwumede, 30, were also arrested with 60 kilogrammes and 13 kilogrammes of skunk, respectively.
Commending officers involved in the successful operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged personnel to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply and drug demand reduction.
“While commending the officers and men of DOGI, MMIA, Apapa, Edo, Kaduna and Katsina Commands for the various successful operations, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency,” Babafemi stated.
