A 47-year-old drug trafficker, Chigbogu Ernest Obiora, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, in Lagos.
He was arrested at about 1:16pm on Sunday April 25, during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline, and had arrived Lagos on board the airline from Entebbe, Uganda via Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Friday.
He said Obiora was subsequently put under observation during which he had so far excreted 97 wraps of substances that tested positive to cocaine with a total weight of 1.55kilogramme and a street value of N360million.
Giving an insight on how was arrested, the commander, MMIA command of the anti-drug agency, Ahmadu Garba, said Obiora was intercepted in the E-arrival hall of the airport by the operatives of NDLEA on the suspicion that he ingested drug substance.
“The suspect was taken for body machine scan and the result was positive for ingestion of substance suspected to be illicit drug. The suspect was promptly moved to the NDLEA excretion/ observation facility.”
Barely an hour after he was arrested, Obiora excreted 31 wraps of cocaine weighing 500grammes and another 47 wraps (750grammes) in the evening of same day while 19 warps (300grammes) were excreted the following day, Monday 26th April, bringing the total to 97 wraps, that is, 1.55kg.
It was learnt that under interrogation, Obiora claimed he was promised $1,500 if he successfully trafficked the drug. He said he opted for the deal because he needed money.
“I did it so that I will be capable of feeding my family. I was living in Madagascar but due to the COVID-19 and the lockdown in the country, I couldn’t go back to my place of work. There was a time I started lacking money to feed my family and to pay my children’s school fees and the worst part of it is to pay my rent. So, I decided to take the option to do it.”
Meanwhile, in continuation of efforts to dismantle all drug spots in Ondo state, the state Command of the Agency has raided two joints, arrested two dealers and seized 80.2kilogrammes of skuchies, while four hectares of cannabis farms were destroyed in Eleyewo area of Akure south local government.
Acting commander of the agency in the state, Callys Alumona, said a 31-year-old woman, Ibukunoluwa Kemi and a 25-year-old young man, Oluwaseun Sunday, were arrested with 78kg and 2.2kg of skuchies respectively. Both were nabbed in different areas of Akure south in the state capital.
Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the MMIA and Ondo state Commands of the Agency for the seizures and arrests.
He charged them and those in other Commands across the country not to rest on their oars in the renewed efforts to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs.
