December 22, (THEWILL) – Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a businessman, Olisaka Chibuzo Calistus, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, for attempting to smuggle 256 wraps of cocaine weighing six kilograms into Nigeria.
The NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the operation marked the largest cocaine seizure at the Kano airport since the agency established its MAKIA Command in 2006.
The arrest occurred on December 15 during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941 from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Calistus, who claimed to be involved in import and export, was caught during a body screening, which revealed hundreds of cocaine pellets concealed on his person.
In a related operation, NDLEA officials at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, foiled an attempt by an ex-convict, Olanrewaju Bada Akorede, to smuggle rohypnol to South Africa.
The illegal consignment, hidden in cargo containing gari, shoes, and men’s singlets, was intercepted at the airport’s export shed.
Akorede, previously convicted for a similar offense in December 2023, was sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option of a fine, which he paid before reoffending.
Elsewhere, NDLEA officers arrested Cynthia Akaeen, an Italy-based businesswoman, at the Lagos airport while attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Italy.
Akaeen was found with 9,190 tablets of tramadol weighing six kilograms. She confessed she was promised €1,000 for successfully delivering the consignment.
In Anambra State, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in the Onitsha building material market, seizing 418,330 pills of tramadol and tapentadol alongside 8,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
At Tincan Island Port, Lagos, a joint operation by NDLEA and other security agencies uncovered 180,000 bottles of codeine syrup in a container from India. The consignee, Makata Emmanuel, was arrested.
In Borno State, NDLEA officers recovered 293,000 capsules of tramadol, a pistol, and 26 rounds of live ammunition from two suspects traveling in a Toyota Sienna bus.
Other arrests in Maiduguri led to the seizure of cannabis, tramadol, and psychoactive substances.
Additional operations in Oyo, Enugu, and Lagos yielded significant seizures, including cannabis sativa, ephedrine, and other illicit drugs.
As part of its War Against Drug Abuse campaign, the NDLEA conducted sensitization programs in schools, religious centers, and workplaces in states including Adamawa, Kano, and Kebbi.
Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), commended the agency’s officers for their diligence and urged them to sustain efforts in combating drug abuse and trafficking across the country.
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