By Abimbola Ogunnaike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency( NDLEA), have arrested a 48-yr-old Paris, France-bound businessman and footballer, Emmanuel Okechuku Orjinze, for ingesting 111 wraps of cocaine.
NDLEA announced that Orjinze excreted the substances after days of observation in the agency’s custody following his arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja.
According to the agency, the suspect, who also claims he is a professional footballer in Europe, was arrested on Tuesday, 21 May, 2024, during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 878 from Abuja to Paris, France.
The Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, Femi Babafemi, who confirmed the arrest of the suspect in a statement on Sunday, 26 May, 2024, said the suspect was taken into custody where he excreted a total of 111 pellets of cocaine that weighed 1.603 kilograms over a period of three days after a body scan confirmed he ingested illicit drugs.
He alleged that the suspect claimed he does business in the maritime sector while still scouting for any European football club to engage him.
Babafemi also announced that the NDLEA officers operating at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja, Lagos, dismantled another drug trafficking syndicate at the airport.
According to him, this followed the arrest of four members of the network and the seizure of a total of 8kg of methamphetamine and 7.60kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from South Africa.
Babafemi said the lid was blown off the syndicate when an official within the airport system was intercepted with a backpack and a bag at the departure hall of Terminal 1 of the airport by NDLEA officers with the support of Aviation Security officers on Tuesday 21st May 2024.
He explained that a search of the bags led to the discovery of the illicit substances, adding that a swift follow-up operation at Ajao Estate area of Lagos led to the arrest of two other members of the syndicate, Chris Nwadozie and Chinedu Nwaosu.
The spokesman added that further investigation led to the arrest of another member of the cartel working within the airport system on Saturday, 25 May, 2024.
Announcing other interceptions by the NDLEA, Babafemi said: “In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO export shed of the Lagos airport have arrested a freight agent, Sonubi Mariam Abiodun over her attempt to cargo 8 parcels of cocaine weighing 2kg concealed in three out of six paint buckets containing shea butter packaged for export to the United Kingdom on Wednesday 22nd May.
“In another part of Lagos, precisely at Igbo Elerin in Ojo local government area, NDLEA officers on Tuesday 21st May arrested a suspect, Odumegwu Obijofor producing and distributing skuchies, a mixture of black currant and illicit drugs. No fewer than 2,480 litres of the New Psychoactive Substance, NPS, were recovered from his clandestine factory when he was arrested.
In Cross River State, while Ogar Emmanuel, was arrested with 2.5kg of cannabis at Ukpada Utugwan village, 29 sacks of the same substance weighing 290kg were recovered from the warehouse of another suspect, Usani Ikpi, who is currently at large. Three suspects: Sa’adu Sule, 23; Mukhtar Nura, 23; and Hamza Nura, 18, were nabbed at Jabiri Funtua, Katsina State on Friday 24th May with 129 blocks of cannabis weighing 70kg coming from Ogere, Ogun State”.
He continued, “No fewer than five suspects including: Ezekiel Munda, 30; and Sule Mustapha, 21, were arrested by NDLEA operatives on Thursday 23rd May during raids at Karu Abattoir, Jikwoyi and Tora Bora hill area of FCT, Abuja, where 95.01kg of cannabis and different quantities of opioids were recovered from them.”
“In Edo State, operatives arrested a physically challenged notorious drug dealer, Zekere Sufianu, 45, at Auchi town on Wednesday 22nd May. At the time of his arrest, he was found with 751 grams of Loud, 178 grams of tramadol and pills of swinol.”
Reacting to the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, FCT, Lagos, Cross River, Katsina, and Edo Commands of the Agency for their outstanding feats in the past week.
Marwa equally applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures
