Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Sunday said they arrested a driver and two others for trafficking different quantities of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
This was contained in a statement made available to Financial Street by the Director, Media & Advocacy of NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, in Abuja.
The driver, Lawal Rasheed, was arrested at the SAHCOL export shed of MMIA on Tuesday, June 8, when he brought a consignment from his client to a freight forwarder for export to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea.
According to the statement, when the package was searched, 150grammes of cocaine concealed inside air freshener was discovered.
A follow-up the following day led to the arrest of Egbo Maduka at his residence on June 9.
The statement also alluded that the agency’s investigations had so far confirmed that Maduka was behind the two seizures of 50g of cocaine in hair attachment and another 150g of cocaine concealed in air freshener, heading to Malabo.
Also on June 11, a male passenger, Udogwu Johnson, on Qatar Airlines from GRU in Brazil, was arrested at the Arrival hall, MMIA, Lagos with nine wraps of cocaine that weighed 300g in his pant.
Meanwhile, a 27-year-old final year Petroleum Engineering student of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Bauchi State, Ali Mohammed, has been arrested with 3.032kg of cannabis sativa at a motor park in Iddo, Lagos following a tip-off on June 10.
Under interrogation, Mohammed, who hails from Nguru, Yobe State but was brought up in Lagos, claimed that while on his way to the motor park in Iddo, from Obalende where he lives, he met an acquaintance, one Ahmed.
According to him, Ahmed, on learning he was traveling back to ATBU, Bauchi via Kano, implored him (the suspect) to help deliver a travel bag containing the seized 3.032kg of cannabis sativa to one Ugo that lives in Sabon Gari, Kano.
Ahmed told the suspect that he would send Ugo’s phone number to him through SMS to facilitate the delivery of the consignment when he arrives Kano.
The suspect, who admitted knowing that the bag contained drugs, however denied receiving or being promised any form of gratification for agreeing to take the drugs to Kano.
The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohammed Marwa (rtd), commended the MMIA and Lagos State Commands of the agency for the feats, while charging the officers and men not to rest on their oars.
He asked them to remain vigilant and intensify the ongoing offensive action against all drug cartels in their areas of responsibility.
