The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother with 9.45kg of cannabis and a 34-year-old South African woman with 36.65kg of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The agency also reported multiple drug seizures and arrests across several states, including Lagos, Kano, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Taraba, Niger, Bauchi and Oyo, in operations against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the South African woman, identified as Qhina Beauty, was arrested on 7 October at the airport’s departure hall while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa through Doha.
A search of her two travelling bags uncovered 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65kg.
The drugs were mixed with dried pepper, wrapped in cellophane tape and packed into seven separate parcels.
Babafemi said Qhina told investigators that she arrived in Nigeria on 30 September specifically to collect the consignment.
She allegedly said another South African woman recruited her and promised to pay her R20,000 after successful delivery.
“She claimed she was introduced to two other members of the syndicate: one based in the United States and the other a Lagos-based car dealer,” Babafemi said.
Further investigations led to the arrest of the car dealer, 46-year-old Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, on 14 October at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, following surveillance at his residence in Shasha.
According to the agency, Umunnakwe admitted receiving Qhina at the airport, lodging her at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin and later moving her to Cynarisso Hotel near the airport ahead of her departure.
In a separate operation on 21 October, NDLEA operatives arrested Anetor Gloria Ubong, a 62-year-old realtor based in Richmond, Texas, United States, after she arrived on a United Airlines flight from Houston.
The agency said a search of her two checked-in boxes revealed 18 parcels of loud, a cannabis strain, weighing 9.45kg and concealed with gift-wrapping paper inside a box.
Ubong, who holds Nigerian and United States passports, allegedly told investigators that her daughter and her daughter’s future brother-in-law had delivered the box to her home in the US for onward delivery in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé, identified as Jibola.
Elsewhere in Lagos, NDLEA’s special operations unit arrested 41-year-old Eletu Rasheedat in Eti-Osa on 23 October.
Officers recovered 5,820 diazepam pills, 780 tramadol tablets, 3.7kg of skunk and 230.25 litres of skuchies.
In Delta State, a 51-year-old suspect, Peter Ugochukwu, was arrested in Warri with a large quantity of pharmaceutical opioids.
The seizure included 29,350 tramadol capsules, 6,620 tablets of tramadol 200mg, 4,116 bottles of codeine syrup, 11,340 Rohypnol tablets, 3,500 diazepam tablets, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 200 ampoules of diazepam injection, alongside quantities of tramadol 225mg, Molly and Cocodamol.
The suspect was transferred to the NDLEA alongside a white Hummer bus by the Nigeria Police Force in Delta State.
In another operation at Enhere Junction, Warri, officers arrested 46-year-old Helen Bakporo Samson, a physically challenged woman, with 6kg of skunk on 19 October.
In Ibadan, Oyo State, 41-year-old Fajana Dada Oluwaseyi was arrested on 19 October after allegedly escaping an earlier arrest. NDLEA officers had seized 197.8kg of cannabis from his house on 16 September.
The agency also reported the arrest of Murtala Lawan, 30, in the Gerawa area of Kano State on 22 October, with 159 blocks of cannabis weighing 97.2kg.
At the Lankaviri checkpoint in Yorro Local Government Area of Taraba State, operatives arrested 39-year-old Raiyanu Misa on 23 October with 95 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 60.175kg.
On the same day, the police handed over another suspect arrested at Dakka village in Bali Local Government Area, with 112 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 81.49kg.
In Niger State, 26-year-old Emmanuel Ekene was arrested on 19 October along the Sabo-Kainji road in Borgu Local Government Area with 64,000 opioid pills, including tramadol and diazepam.
In Bauchi State, officers arrested 45-year-old Jamilu Mustapha, also known as Last Card, at Nasaru town in Ningi Local Government Area on 21 October. They recovered 379kg of cannabis packed in seven large sacks.
Meanwhile, an intelligence-led raid on a farm at Board-Ala in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State on 20 October led to the recovery of 56 bags of abandoned cannabis weighing 583kg.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed two cannabis farms in Ugbada Forest, Uzebba, Owan West Local Government Area, on 18 October.
The farms had an estimated yield of 2,023.14kg. Officers also burnt 450kg of processed cannabis at the site and took 97kg as exhibits.
A 42-year-old woman, Mary Edokhai, was arrested in a related operation at Ewe community in Owan West with 35kg of cannabis.
The agency said its commands and formations also sustained their War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities during the week.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to maintain their efforts against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
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