BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has thwarted an audacious attempt by 26-year-old Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinma, a 200-level nursing student at Noida International University, Uttar Pradesh, India, to smuggle 76 wraps of cocaine out of Nigeria.
The arrest, made at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, highlights the agency’s relentless efforts to dismantle drug networks in the country.
Esther, who was scheduled to board a Qatar Airways flight to Delhi, India, on Friday, January 17, was apprehended at 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 16, in her room at the Royal Park Hotel, Sabon Gari, Kano. She was awaiting the consignment of cocaine she was meant to ingest before her flight.
Her arrest followed the interception of 31-year-old Cosmas Okorie by NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State. Okorie, traveling in a commuter bus from Lagos to Kano, was found with 76 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.34 kilograms concealed inside an audio speaker. A swift follow-up operation led to Esther’s arrest.
Esther confessed that she was recruited by a drug cartel in India, which sponsored her trip to Nigeria for the Christmas and New Year holidays.
To keep her movements secret from her family in Imo State, she stayed in a hotel in Enugu before flying to Abuja and later to Kano. She was promised over $5,000 for successfully delivering the illicit drugs to India.
The NDLEA’s operations extended beyond Kano, resulting in numerous arrests and seizures across the country.
In Kogi State along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja highway, four suspects—Abdullahi Umar, Tijjani Samaila, Lucky Obotte, and Abubakar Haruna—were apprehended with over 38,000 pills of tramadol concealed in audio speakers and clothes.
In Lagos State (in Ojodu-Berger), a special operations unit arrested 59-year-old Nwokedi Emeka Jonas and recovered 10 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent synthetic cannabis strain weighing 4.9kg.
At Igando New Town, Alimosho, three suspects—Isaac Vincent, 32; Ebube Ikechi, 25; and Christopher Usifoh, 43—were caught with 1,610kg of skunk and 6kg of tramadol. A delivery van and three vehicles used for distribution were also seized.
In Lekki, a raid on 5A Addison Palmer, Castle Rock Avenue, led to the arrest of Olashile Okoya and Mohammed Ibrahim and the recovery of 28kg of Canadian Loud.
In Kwara State, at Bode Saadu in Moro LGA, three suspects—Lawali Isiaka, Umoru Isiaka, and Mohammed Kabiru—were arrested with 65.5kg of cannabis and 390 tablets of Molly.
In Taraba State along Wukari-Zaki Ibiam road, 24-year-old Samuel Ogbu was arrested with 25,000 tramadol pills.
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), around Gwarimpa, Rufa’i Hashimu, 27, was caught with 118 bottles of codeine syrup.
Thirteen others were arrested in various locations, and illicit substances, including tramadol, diazepam, and methamphetamine, were seized.
The NDLEA also reported significant progress in its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign. Advocacy activities reached schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities across states like Oyo, Ekiti, Cross River, and Osun.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), lauded the efforts of operatives nationwide and encouraged them to intensify their dual approach of reducing both drug supply and demand.
“The fight against drug abuse and trafficking demands our sustained commitment. Let us continue to uphold the integrity and diligence that have brought us this far,” Marwa stated.
