The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two Europe-based Nigerian businessmen for allegedly ingesting 200 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.46 kilogrammes in an attempt to smuggle the drugs to Paris, France. The suspects, Aliocus Godian Odife and Sam Blackborn, were arrested on October 28 during the outward clearance of an Air France flight from Abuja to Paris.
According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, the two suspects were intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after body scans revealed that they had swallowed illicit substances. Odife claimed to live in France and work in a factory, and had arrived in Nigeria on October 21 for a short holiday but was arrested while attempting to return to Europe.
A body scan conducted on Odife revealed foreign objects in his stomach, prompting further investigation. He admitted to ingesting 110 wraps of cocaine, which he subsequently excreted under observation. The drugs tested positive for cocaine and weighed 1.901 kilogrammes. Blackborn, who was travelling on the same flight, was also arrested after a body scan indicated that he had ingested illicit substances.
Blackborn confessed to swallowing 90 wraps of cocaine, which he excreted under observation, with the consignment weighing 1.559 kilogrammes. The NDLEA spokesman said the arrests were part of a series of nationwide operations that resulted in the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs and the arrest of several suspects across Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Ondo, Oyo and Edo states.
In Lagos, operatives intercepted two commercial buses transporting a combined 976 kilogrammes of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, in separate operations on October 25. In Oyo State, two suspects were arrested while loading 554 kilogrammes of skunk into a Volvo truck. The NDLEA also raided a location in Kano State, recovering 247,500 tablets of diazepam and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5.
The NDLEA chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers for the arrests and seizures, describing the interception of the two cocaine couriers at Abuja airport as a fresh warning to Nigerians living abroad who might attempt to use their overseas residence as cover for drug trafficking. Marwa charged officers to sustain operations against drug cartels while continuing public education campaigns to reduce drug demand.
The NDLEA sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities across the country during the week. The agency visited several institutions, including Obawole Grammar School II in Lagos and Nsukka High School in Enugu State, as part of its efforts to educate the public about the dangers of drug abuse.
Key points
- The NDLEA arrested two Europe-based Nigerian businessmen for ingesting 200 wraps of cocaine.
- The suspects were intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after body scans revealed illicit substances.
- The NDLEA seized large quantities of illicit drugs across several states in Nigeria.
