NDLEA seizes Qatar-bound drugs concealed in African salad, officers reject N5m bribe

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has incarcerated a 35-year-old lady, Chidinma Chinenye-Agbazue, after she was caught attempting to export 20 parcels of Cannabis sativa weighing 10.70kg to Doha, Qatar, through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State.

The unlawful drugs were said to have been concealed in African salad, popularly called Abacha; and dried vegetables.

The operation was carried out in conjunction with officers of the Department of State Services.

The anti-narcotics operatives also reportedly rejected a N5 million bribe from another suspect in Lagos State.

Mr. Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson for the NDLEA, revealed this in a statement on Sunday while itemizing arrests and recoveries made by the agency over the past week.

Babafemi said, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have detained a 35-year-old lady, Chidinma Chinenye-Agbazue, after she was caught attempting to export 20 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 10.70kg concealed in African salad popularly called Abacha and dried vegetables to Doha, Qatar, through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos state.

“NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport, working in partnership with men of the Department of State Services had on Thursday, March 28 intercepted Chidinma, an outbound passenger from Lagos to Doha, on Qatar Airways during clearance of passengers at the screening point of Terminal 11 of the MMIA.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that Chidinma was based in Qatar but returned to Nigeria last December for Christmas celebration. She said preparatory to her return to Doha, she was lodged at Club Dice Hotel in the Ikotun area of Lagos, where the consignment was handed over to her for trafficking to the Arab country,”

Babafemi added that two other suspects, Monday Okeke, and Chigozie Emeka, were arrested by NDLEA operatives in Oniwaya, Yaba, and Agege area of Lagos, where they recovered from them 842,560 pills of opioids especially tramadol in addition to 15 litres of codeine syrup and 596 grams of Molly on Tuesday, March 26.

He said, “Two suspects; Monday Okeke and Chigozie Emeka, were on Tuesday, March 26, arrested by NDLEA operatives in Oniwaya, Yaba and Agege area of Lagos, where they recovered from them 842,560 pills of opioids especially tramadol, in addition to 15 litres of codeine syrup and 596 grams of Molly.

“Attempt by Okeke to bribe the NDLEA officers with N5m cash was rebuffed while the money was documented as part of exhibits to prosecute the suspects in court.”

The bid by three suspects: Ebuka Eze, 31; Ugochukwu Okoro, 44; and Kingsley Uzim, 27, in Bayelsa, to smuggle opioids including codeine, molly, tramadol, and diazepam, weighing a total of 73.425kg to the creeks in Southern Ijaw area of the state was thwarted on Wednesday by NDLEA operatives at Swali Jetty, Yenagoa, where Eze and Okoro were arrested while Uzim was nabbed at Amasoma in a follow-up operation. The drugs were concealed in jumbo sacks and carried to the jetty in a tricycle.

In the meantime, two suspects: Eniola Muyideen and Bankole Shuaib, were arrested with 137 blocks of cannabis weighing 71kg during a raid at Orile Imo, Ogun State, on Friday.

Operatives of the NDLEA in Taraba recovered 39,980 pills of tramadol from a suspect, Abubakar Mohammed, 33, in Lankaviri village, and another suspect, Apaji Vincent, 29, arrested in Wukari on Thursday with 131 kg of cannabis sativa.

In Abia State, Nwachukwuu Chinedu, 28, was arrested on Friday at Akara Ahuba, Isikwuato LGA, by NDLEA officers.

Items recovered from him include 46.65kg of cannabis and different quantities of tramadol, methamphetamine, and rohypnol as well as N71,500 monetary exhibit.

Not less than 127.5kg cannabis loaded in a Volkswagen Vento saloon car marked NTT 215 AA was recovered along Isua/Kabba Road, Idoani area of Ose Local Government Area, Ondo State, while a 30-year-old female suspect, Chinasa Christopher, was arrested with 400 bottles of codeine syrup in Sabon Gari area of Kano.

Babafemi added that, “The owner of a consignment of illicit drugs intercepted along Zaria-Kano Road, Bakura Goni was arrested at Mile 2 market in Lagos on Tuesday in a follow-up operation and flown to Kano to face charges. The consignment consisting of cannabis and tramadol weighing 73.8kg was earlier seized in a truck conveying it from Lagos to Kano.”

Meanwhile, 278kg of cannabis going to Idoani in Ondo State was recovered during a raid at Oloma-Okpe forest, Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo State, while not less than 3,065.255kg of the same psychoactive substance was razed on two farms at Amahor waterside forest in Igueben area of the state where three suspects: James Thank god; Wisdom James and Akpa Festus were arrested on Thursday.