By Adesakin Adefemi
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a Brazil-based businessman who allegedly smuggled 6.10 kilograms of liquid cocaine into Nigeria concealed inside shirts and towels at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The suspect, 41-year-old Abugu Oliver Ikechukwu, was arrested on June 11 upon arrival from São Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight. NDLEA said the arrest followed a thorough search of his luggage by officers at the airport.
According to a statement by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, officers discovered 14 towels and shirts soaked in liquid cocaine, dried and neatly ironed to evade detection. The method, officials noted, is part of a growing trend of using everyday fabrics to conceal liquid narcotics.
Babafemi said Ikechukwu claimed he had lived in Brazil for over 14 years, where he runs an African restaurant. The suspect told investigators he was in Nigeria to visit his wife and buy foodstuffs in bulk for his business.
The NDLEA also recorded several other arrests and seizures nationwide. In Abia State, a 60-year-old woman, Chidimma Sunday, was handed over to the agency by the Umuosu Vigilante Group after she was found with 1.8kg of skunk in Isialangwa North Local Government Area.
In Rivers State, a 28-year-old man, Abubakar Usman, was arrested in Rumuokoro, Port Harcourt, with assorted illicit drugs including skunk, methamphetamine, tramadol, Swinol and diazepam. Both suspects are persons living with disabilities.
The agency further intercepted large consignments in other states. These include 304kg of skunk in Kwara, 1,121.5kg of cannabis from a warehouse in Taraba, and 1,102kg of Ghana Loud seized around Alaba International Market in Lagos.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers of the MMIA, Abia, Rivers, Kano, Kwara, Delta, Gombe, Lagos and FCT commands for the operations. He said the arrests and seizures reflect the agency’s intensified push to cut drug supply across the country.
Marwa noted that supply reduction efforts are being matched with drug demand reduction and public sensitisation campaigns. He urged personnel to build on the successes and surpass previous records in the fight against narcotics trafficking in Nigeria.
