One female traveller, Okafor Ebere Edith has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly being in possession of cocaine.
According to the drug agency 35 wraps of cocaine were recovered from Okafor.
The wraps of cocaine were found in her underwear, during the outward clearance of passengers on Air Cote d’voire, to Monrovia, Liberia from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos.
Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
According to the statement, the suspect who tucked the pellets of cocaine in her underwear to beat security checks at the airport was however picked up for search and questioning during which the wraps of the illicit drug were found on her.
Babafemi said during a preliminary interview, she claimed her desire to make money pushed her into drug trafficking.
He said another suspect, Echendu Jerry Maduakolam, an intending male passenger to Istanbul was arrested at Gate A departure hall of the MMIA on Tuesday 27th July during outward clearance of Egypt airline to Turkey with 78grams of cannabis mixed with dried bitter leaves.
The agency spokesman said on the same day, another intending male passenger, Egbon Osarodion to Milan, Italy was arrested at the airport’s Gate A departure hall during outward clearance of passengers on Egypt airline with different quantities of 225mg Tramadol and Rohypnol concealed in foil papers wrapped in a polyethylene bag.
He also said, acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives from Kontagora Area command of the Agency in the early hours of Thursday 29th July 2021 raided a warehouse at Mailefe village in Kontagora Local Government Area of Niger state, where drug supplies for bandits operating in parts of the state were stored.
Babafemi said after a thorough search of the warehouse, 125 bags of cannabis sativa were recovered while a man seen praying in front of the house fled into the forest when he sighted the narcotic officers from afar.
Chairman/ Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the commanders, officers and men of the MMIA and Niger state commands of the Agency for their continued efforts in tracking down traffickers of illicit drugs in their areas of responsibility.
