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NDLEA Arrests Multiple Drug Traffickers, Seizes Cocaine and Codeine Worth Billions
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reported the arrest of Ibeanusi Solomon Nosike, a businessman based in Onitsha, Anambra State, who was caught attempting to smuggle 68 wraps of cocaine.
Following his arrest at the domestic terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, Nosike was placed under excretion observation for 12 days, during which he expelled the drug-filled pellets.
The NDLEA revealed that the 36-year-old suspect was apprehended in the early hours of Thursday, August 8, 2024, while attempting to board an early flight from Lagos to Abuja.
He had planned to later connect to a Qatar Airways flight at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, headed to Vietnam at 10:00 a.m. the same day.
Femi Babafemi, Director of Media & Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters, disclosed that Nosike had been under surveillance due to prior intelligence.
According to Babafemi, Nosike had travelled to Lagos from Onitsha on August 7 and checked into a hotel, where he ingested 68 cocaine pellets before making his way to the airport for his 6:30 a.m. flight.
He was subsequently intercepted by NDLEA officers and placed in excretion observation, where he eventually passed the 1.282 kilograms of cocaine.
In a similar case, the NDLEA apprehended another Vietnam-bound businessman, 54-year-old Paul Okwuy Mbadugha, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Monday, August 12, 2024.
Mbadugha was arrested during the outbound clearance for a Qatar Airways flight to Hanoi, Vietnam, via Doha, after he tested positive for ingesting cocaine. Within four days under NDLEA supervision, he expelled 88 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.710 kilograms.
In another incident, NDLEA operatives in Onitsha arrested Aligbo Chukwudi Jacob, another businessman, after intercepting a shipment of 1.2 kilograms of cannabis concealed in a package bound for Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The shipment, which was intercepted at MMIA’s export shed, had been sent through a courier company based in Onitsha. After a series of follow-up operations, Aligbo was arrested in Onitsha on August 17, 2024.
Additionally, NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit arrested five female drug traffickers at the Seme border as they returned from Ghana to Lagos. The group, led by 42-year-old Olaribigbe Bashirat Feyisara, had been under NDLEA surveillance for some time.
Alongside Feyisara, the agency arrested Abogun Fatimah Ladidi, Osibeluwo Tolulope Oluwaseun, Akanni Balikis Oluwatoyin, and Ajetumobi Amudalat.
During the arrest, NDLEA officers recovered 14 packs of a potent strain of cannabis known as Loud, weighing a total of 6.97 kilograms, hidden in various parts of the suspects’ bodies.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan seaport in Lagos intercepted two containers originating from Mundra port in India.
A joint examination of the containers with other port stakeholders led to the discovery of 1,596 cartons of codeine-based syrup, containing 319,200 bottles of the opioid. The street value of the seized drugs was estimated to be N2,234,400,000 (Two Billion, Two Hundred and Thirty-Four Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira).
In a separate incident in Edo State, two women involved in the online sale of illicit drugs were arrested. Martha Owotorofa, 26, was apprehended at Kada Plaza in Benin City with quantities of Canadian Loud, while 21-year-old Odion Uzordinma was arrested in the Ugbowo area with 30 cups of cookies and 17 slices of cake, all laced with illegal substances.
A raid on Oghada village in Uhunmwonde local government area led to the arrest of 50-year-old Saturday Edobor, who was found with 288.8 kilograms of cannabis.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect, Godwill Davidson, on August 21, 2024, in the Mushin area. He was caught with 3,834 bottles of codeine syrup, 5,200 Co-Codamol pills, and 11,880 tablets of Rohypnol.
Another suspect, 23-year-old Yahaya Ibrahim, was arrested on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway in Kogi State the same day, carrying 42,000 tramadol pills. Ibrahim had reportedly been transporting the drugs from Asaba, Delta State, to Potiskum in Yobe State.
In Oyo State, two suspects, Feranmi Bankole and Fredrick Tobiloba, both 25, were arrested at Pariz Lounge in Ibadan following an intelligence report. NDLEA operatives recovered 267.5 litres of scrunchies (a mixture of black currant and assorted illicit drugs) and 18 grams of Canadian Loud.
In response to these various operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the agency’s officers for their relentless efforts.
He commended the Special Operations Units, MMIA, Tincan, Lagos, and Edo Commands for their arrests and seizures. Marwa urged them and their colleagues across Nigeria to maintain the ongoing balanced approach to drug control to effectively combat the drug trade in the country.
Photo source: Daily post
Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, believes it’s nearly impossible to remove President Bola Tinubu from power through a coalition in the 2027 elections. Speaking on a live TV program, he dismissed recent coalition talks by some political figures as nothing more than noise, saying they don’t pose any real threat to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, those pushing the idea of a coalition are underestimating the deep-rooted structure and support base of the APC. “There’s no political tsunami on the way,” he said. “I’ve been part of presidential campaigns. I understand Nigeria’s political landscape. A coalition strong enough to unseat Tinubu just isn’t possible right now.”
His comments were in response to remarks by key opposition voices like Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, Atiku Abubakar, and Nasir El-Rufai, who have been suggesting a united front against Tinubu ahead of 2027. Baba-Ahmed had criticized the current administration for poor governance and urged voters to seek change.
Rumors have also been swirling about a possible merger within the PDP, though many of the party’s governors have denied any involvement. Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose even described the whole idea as pointless and dead on arrival.
Keyamo made it clear that forming a strong political merger takes time, recalling how long it took for Tinubu and Buhari to build the APC after the 2011 elections. He said those planning a coalition now are either confused about what they want or have already missed the train.
Kenneth Okonkwo, a former spokesperson for the Labour Party’s presidential campaign, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of manipulating the 2023 election results, claiming that the results Peter Obi received were “written” and allocated to him by the commission.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Okonkwo criticized INEC for failing to upload the polling unit results to its portals, as required by law, over two years after the election. He argued that while Obi allegedly won over a million votes in Lagos State, INEC reduced his total, and he claimed that the results from Rivers State were altered to favor the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“There’s no explanation for it until today,” he said. “The results were written and allocated to Obi. Go to Rivers State and check.”
When reminded that the Supreme Court ruling declared Bola Tinubu and the APC as the legitimate winners, Okonkwo dismissed the ruling, explaining that the court only found insufficient evidence to support claims of fraud. “The court is not telling you they didn’t write the results,” he said. “It’s telling you that there was no evidence to prove they did.”
Okonkwo also defended his party’s inability to place polling agents at every polling unit, acknowledging that the law does not expect every party to have the resources for such an extensive operation. He emphasized, however, that if INEC were truly impartial, there would be no need for agents in every unit. “INEC received 400 billion naira to organize the election in Nigeria,” he pointed out.
Former Abia State Governor and current Senator for Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has urged the South East to take full advantage of the benefits that come with being part of the country’s mainstream political landscape.
In a post shared on his official Facebook page, Kalu expressed concern that President Bola Tinubu was dissatisfied with the 4% vote he received in Abia State during the 2023 presidential election. He pointed out that this was troubling, especially given the strong presence of APC personalities in Abia at the time.
Kalu called on APC members to unite and work towards securing victory for the party in Abia in 2027. He added that the stakeholders’ meeting he held at his Abuja residence was aimed at rallying Abia APC members and promoting unity within the party. He also clarified that Governor Alex Otti was not part of the discussions.
While Kalu avoided publicly criticizing Governor Otti, he emphasized that the people, not any individual, should determine the fate of their leaders. He recalled the 2019 elections when President Buhari secured 68% of the vote in his constituency, but President Tinubu could only manage 4% in the entire state in 2023.
Kalu concluded by stressing that the South East must align itself with the broader political environment, saying, “The South East as a whole has to belong where other Nigerians are sitting.”
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