Michael Olugbode in Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a member of Lagos major drug syndicate, a 56-year-old, Lawal Oyenuga, who was on a mission to deliver 400 grammes of cocaine concealed in a pair of palm sandals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Orenuga’s arrest led to a swift follow-up arrest of a wanted notorious kingpin, Wasiu Gbolahan popularly known as Teacher, who is notorious for the recruitment of mules for the cartel.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said operatives of the anti-narcotics agency attached to the screening point of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos had on Thursday, 24th November intercepted Oyenuga with a pair of black palm sandals packed in the luggage he was going with to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airways flight.
Babafemi disclosed that a thorough examination of the sandals revealed they were used to conceal two parcels of cocaine weighing 400 grammes, noting that this was barely a week after a 56-year-old widow and mother of four, Mrs. Ajisegiri Sidika, was arrested at the airport over her attempt to traffic 400 grammes of cocaine concealed in her footwear to Makkah, Saudi Arabia on board a Qatar Airways flight.
The spokesman said Oyenuga, in his statement, claimed he was recruited to traffic the drug by Wasiu Gbolahan popularly known as Teacher, adding that he was first given some pellets of cocaine to swallow but when he couldn’t do that, he was given the ones concealed in the palm sandals.
He confessed to have resorted to the criminal trade to raise money to pay an examination fee for his daughter who is in Senior Secondary School (SSS) 3.
Babafemi said the agency’s database revealed that Wasiu Sanni (Teacher) has been linked to some previous attempts to traffic cocaine to Saudi Arabia and Dubai, UAE, and had been fingered as the one who recruited a BRT driver, Bolajoko Babalola, for Lagos socialite and owner of Adekaz Hotels, Alhaji Ademola Kazeem (a.k.a Alhaji Abdallah Kazeem Muhammed), to traffic drugs to Dubai.
Bolajoko was arrested on 27th June while taking 900 grammes of cocaine to Dubai, while Ademola Kazeem was nabbed on Thursday, 10th November, barely 10 days after he was declared wanted by NDLEA.
Babafemi said a follow-up operation in the early hours of last Friday led to the arrest of the kingpin, Teacher, who specialises in recruiting mules for drug barons in Lagos and its environs at his residence located in Ikorodu area of Lagos.
The 64-year-old Gbolahan is a housing and property agent, with seven children and four wives, one of whom is now late.
He also revealed that in another follow-up operation to the seizure of 1.1 kilogrammes cannabis concealed in bottles of body cream going to Dubai on 9th September, the actual owner of the consignment, Wordu Chukwuemeka, who runs a boutique business in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was arrested in the Garden City last Thursday.
In the same vein, operatives attached to NAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport last Tuesday intercepted a consolidated cargo from Johannesburg, South Africa via an Air Peace Airline flight.
The cargo contained different items, including cloths, cereals, baby toys, drinks and a set of two big black speakers, which were used to conceal 25 parcels of Loud variant of cannabis, with a gross weight of 5.5 kilogrammes.
Similarly, operatives attached to the SAHCO export shed of the airport same Tuesday intercepted a carton of food items used to conceal 500 grammes of cannabis going to Dubai, UAE while the owner, Uzoma Kingsley, was promptly arrested.
Babafemi said in a related development, attempt by an organised criminal group to traffic 131 kilogrammes of Ephedrine, a dominant precursor chemical for the production of Methamphetamine to Congo Kinshasa through the SAHCO export shed of the airport was foiled on Monday, November 21 by NDLEA operatives in conjunction with Aviation Security (AVSEC) officers of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
He said the two freight agents — Nwazuru Georgewill and Saheed Muritala — linked to the bid were promptly arrested.
He said an attempt by a drug trafficker, Udogwu Johnson, facing multiple charges of drug offences to flee the country after he jumped bail, has been thwarted by NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt International Airport where he was arrested last Friday.
He said the 51-year-old suspect was already facing trial at a Federal High Court in Lagos before he was arrested again on Saturday, April 9 in Port Harcourt for importing 5.48kg cocaine concealed in lotion plastic bottles sealed with candle wax.
He was granted bail by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, November 23 over his latest offence while the Lagos court had issued a warrant of arrest against him for jumping bail over his case in Lagos.
At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the move by a Brazilian returnee, Iroegbute Francis, 46, to smuggle 4 kilogrammes cocaine soaked in towels stuffed in his hand luggage into the country was foiled on Thursday, November 4 by NDLEA officers who arrested him, upon his arrival on a Qatar Airline flight from Brazil-Doha-Abuja.
According to Babafemi, no fewer than 5,851.3 kilogrammes (5.8 tonnes) of cannabis sativa were seized from dealers across five states in the past week, including a notorious cripple, Ibrahim Yusuf, 45, who was arrested on Monday, November 21 at Gasline, Ifo, Ogun State with 4 kilogrammes of the psychotropic substance, while a total of 36 bags weighing 570 kilogrammes of the same substance were recovered in another raid at a forest in Ogunmakin town, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area.
In Edo State, operatives last Tuesday evacuated 141 bags of cannabis sativa with a gross weight of 1,884 kilogrammes (about 1.9 tonnes) stored in a warehouse in Okpe forest, Akoko Edo Local Government Area, while last Thursday, NDLEA officers arrested Ismaila Abubakar, 50, at Okada junction, Ovia South West Local Government Area with 22 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 216.5 kilogrammes, and a day after, operatives also seized 112 bags of cannabis sativa stored in Obi Camp forest, Ovia South West Local Government Area weighing 1,512 kilogrammes.
He said this was also followed by another seizure of 45 bags that weighed 529.5 kilogrammes, while officers equally intercepted a Toyota Sienna bus with Registration Number BDG 598 FZ (Lagos) loaded with 566.5 kilogrammes cannabis going to Onitsha, Anambra State, and a suspect, Sunday Mathias, 30, arrested with the seizure.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives stormed Oke-Ogun forest last Friday, where Onyebuchi Chime was arrested with 88 kilogrammes cannabis, a gun and some ammunition, while they also recovered 149.5 kilogrammes of the substance at Ipele forest.
Not less than 12.42 hectares of cannabis farms were destroyed and 195 kilogrammes processed weeds of the substance recovered at Efon Alaaye, Ekiti State where two dealers — Richard Ebong and Nze Abraham –were arrested on Saturday.
In Oyo State, operatives arrested a 27-year-old Mrs. Adebayo Rahmat last Thursday at Sabo-Ilupeju, Atiba Local Government Area, with 136.3 kilogrammes cannabis, while no fewer than 84,000 pills of tramadol tablets were recovered from a suspect, Muhsin Abdullahi, in Bodinga area of Sokoto State same day.
Also 16,000 pills of Exol-5 and D5 concealed in palm oil were seized from Lawal Rabe, 24, last Friday at Kokami village, Danta Local Government Area, Katsina, while a total of 54,500 tablets of tramadol and Exol-5 were seized from the duo of Basiru Muhammadu and Saidu Yusuf in the same area on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers and men of the MMIA, NAIA, PHIA, Edo, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, Sokoto, Katsina and Oyo Commands of the agency for their professionalism in the discharge of their duties and the remarkable results that followed.
He however enjoined them and their compatriots across the country not to let down their guards as the nation approaches the festive season.
