Two Brazil returnees, Ofoma Sunday and Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu, have excreted a combined 116 wraps of heroin and cocaine after days of observation in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the development in a statement on Sunday, noting that the suspects were arrested on different dates during inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers from Brazil.
According to him, “Ofoma, 46, was arrested on 16th September upon arrival from Brazil. He was taken for a body scan, which confirmed ingestion of illicit drugs. A follow-up operation at Eliata Hotel, Amuwo Odofin, led to the arrest of one Nweke Jude Chukwudi, 55, who was designated to oversee the excretion process. Ofoma eventually excreted 111 wraps of heroin weighing 1.452kg in eight batches.”
In a separate operation, Ukachukwu, who arrived on 19th September, was also subjected to a body scan that confirmed drug concealment. Babafemi said the 37-year-old later expelled five big wraps of cocaine weighing 145 grams. He confessed that he initially bought nine wraps in Brazil, inserted them into his anus, but flushed two during a painful transit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“His confession revealed the desperation of traffickers and the risks they put themselves through just to make quick money,” Babafemi stated.
In another dramatic arrest, NDLEA operatives nabbed Okolonkwo Ebere Theresa, a businesswoman, on 14th September after Aviation Security officers at the airport discovered two parcels of methamphetamine weighing 1.40kg concealed in her butt pad underwear. She was attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha, Qatar.
At the NAHCO export shed on 15th September, a consignment of food items headed for Hong Kong was intercepted. Inside, officers found 40 wraps of meth weighing 2.30kg. The courier, 59-year-old Umelo Ifeanyi Venatus, was arrested.
A similar bust on 18th September exposed a cocaine consignment concealed in seven phone chargers bound for New Zealand.
Beyond Lagos, NDLEA operatives also recorded major seizures across the country. In Adamawa, no fewer than 233,800 pills of tramadol were recovered in raids across Yola and Mayo Belwa, with suspects including Rita Zira and Halilu Abubakar in custody. In Zamfara, 109 bags of skunk weighing over 1,099kg were intercepted in a truck driven by Hammed Danladi Aliyu, 40.
In Edo, two cannabis farms covering over 4.5 hectares in Atororo forest, Owan West LGA, were destroyed with suspects Mathew Onoja, 56; Moses Thomas Male, 18; and Friday Uchenjin, 38, arrested.
Babafemi, quoting NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), stressed that the Agency is resolute in crippling drug cartels.
“These arrests and seizures represent a significant milestone in our determined effort to dismantle drug trafficking organisations targeting our youth with illicit substances. We will not relent until these criminal networks are completely neutralized,” Marwa declared.
Babafemi added that the Agency will sustain its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign across schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities nationwide.
Two Brazil Returnees Excrete 116 Wraps of Heroin, Cocaine in NDLEA Custody
