January 19, (THEWILL) – In a major drug bust, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 26-year-old nursing student, Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinma, for attempting to smuggle cocaine to India.
Uzodinma, a 200-level student at Noida International University, Uttar Pradesh, was apprehended at the Royal Park Hotel, Sabon Gari, Kano, late Thursday night, January 16, while awaiting a consignment of cocaine she planned to ingest before her scheduled flight.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the suspect was preparing to board Qatar Airways flight QR1432 from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on January 17 when the plot was uncovered.
Uzodinma had been recruited by a drug cartel in India, which sponsored her trip to Nigeria under the guise of celebrating Christmas and New Year.
She revealed during interrogation that she had been staying at various hotels, including a two-week stint in Enugu, to avoid detection by her family.
Her assignment was to ingest 76 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.34 kilograms and deliver them to India in exchange for a promised payment of $5,000.
Uzodinma’s arrest followed the interception of Cosmas Okorie, a 31-year-old courier, on the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State.
Okorie, traveling from Lagos to Kano, was found with the cocaine consignment hidden in an audio speaker. A swift follow-up operation in Kano led to Uzodinma’s arrest.
In other operations, NDLEA officers arrested four suspects on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja highway. Abdullahi Umar, Tijjani Samaila, Lucky Obotte, and Abubakar Haruna were caught with over 38,000 pills of Tramadol, concealed in audio speakers and clothing.
In Lagos, a raid on January 14 at Ojodu-Berger led to the arrest of 59-year-old Nwokedi Emeka Jonas and the recovery of 10 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain.
The drugs, weighing 4.9kg, were packaged in branded paper bags labeled with names such as “Dead Man” and “Gelato Cake.”
On January 15, operatives raided a house in Igando New Town, Alimosho, where three suspects—Isaac Vincent, 32; Ebube Ikechi, 25; and Christopher Usifoh, 43—were arrested. The operation yielded 1,610kg of cannabis, 6kg of Tramadol, a delivery van, and three vehicles used for distributing the drugs.
Similarly, two suspects, Olashile Okoya and Mohammed Ibrahim, were nabbed on January 18 at Osapa, Lekki, with 28kg of Canadian Loud, while Saheed Sulaiman was arrested on January 16 with 67kg of cannabis at Lagos Island.
In Kano, arrests included Usama Adamu, 25, and Isah Ibrahim, 29, caught with 7.6kg of skunk, rubber solution, and psychoactive substances, while Usman Isa, 29, was intercepted with 114 blocks of cannabis weighing 49.8kg.
Elsewhere, Lawali Isiaka, Umoru Isiaka, and Mohammed Kabiru were arrested in Kwara State with 65.5kg of cannabis, while Samuel Ogbu, 24, was caught in Taraba with 25,000 Tramadol pills.
In Abuja, 27-year-old Rufai Hashimu was arrested with 118 bottles of codeine syrup, alongside 13 others nabbed in various locations for drug-related offenses.
NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) lauded the operatives for their dedication and urged them to sustain the momentum.
He highlighted the agency’s dual approach of drug supply reduction and demand reduction through public sensitization campaigns in schools, religious centers, and workplaces.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
