NDLEA arrests nurse, two businessmen at Lagos airport over cocaine, loud trafficking
…Reports over 162,000 bottles of codeine seized at Apapa Seaport
By Sodiq Adelakun
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended three individuals—including a Canada-based nurse—at the Lagos International Airport for their involvement in drug trafficking.
The suspects, Ihejirika Okechukwu Emmanuel, Iwuagwu Ikedi Victory, and Usman Grace Khadijat Olami, were caught attempting to import and export cocaine and parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis.
Ihejirika, who frequently travels to Thailand under the guise of a fish importer, was arrested on October 15, 2024, as he prepared to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Thailand via Addis Ababa.
A body scan revealed he had ingested cocaine, leading to the expulsion of five large wraps weighing 400 grams. He confessed that he intended to be compensated for delivering the drugs in Thailand, indicating financial pressure to support his business.
As a result, he was placed under excretion observation during which he expelled five big egg size wraps of cocaine weighing 400grams.
In his statement, the 51-year-old suspect confessed that he was to be paid upon successful delivery of the drug consignment in Thailand. He said he needed the money to boost his fish importation business.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA spokesman, Mr. Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday that, operatives of the Agency, at the Lagos airport on 17th October intercepted a 26-year-old businessman Iwuagwu Ikedi Victory coming from Brazil via Addis Ababa during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight.
His body scan revealed ingestion of illicit drugs and when he was put under observation, he excreted a pellet of cocaine weighing 22 grams. He however confessed that he ingested 30 wraps of the illicit drug in Brazil but excreted 29 pellets in Addis Ababa, where he handed them over to another person. The suspect revealed that he was to be paid N2.5 million for trafficking the drug.
In a separate case, nurse Usman Grace Khadijat Olami was arrested on October 4 after arriving from Toronto via Paris. A search of her luggage uncovered 70 parcels of Canadian Loud, totaling 35.70 kg. During questioning, she claimed she was in Nigeria to meet her boyfriend, who instructed her to carry the cannabis consignment.
The NDLEA also reported significant seizures at the ports, including over 162,000 bottles of codeine syrup and millions of pills of opioids, highlighting ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking in the region.
The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, emphasised the NDLEA’s commitment to tackling drug smuggling and protecting public health, underscoring the need for vigilance at airports and seaports.
