Another container of N1.1b cocaine intercepted by NDLEA at Tin Can Island port



large quantity of assorted illicit drugs prepared for destruction by NDLEA



Another container believed to be containing concentrated cocaine valued at over N1.1 billion has been intercepted at the Tin Can Island port, Lagos by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) few days ago bringing the number of containers loaded with cocaine and heroin intercepted by the agency at the seaport to three within the past 10 weeks alone. The discovery was made on Thursday evening January 13, during the physical examination of a 20 feet container of floor tiles and cement originating from Bolivia. One person that appeared as the consignee has been arrested.

suspected drug trafficker conceals cocaine on ankle

Fears allayed by people doing business at the port that it is becoming increasingly risky and unsafe to do business at the port due to increasing patronage by drug barons who are continually using the port for the importation of illicit drugs was dismissed by the Chairman and chief executive of the agency, Ahmadu Giade who assured that the agency has taken measures capable of frustrating any effort by any baron aimed at importing or exporting drugs through Nigeria.

Giade who said the latest cocaine interception was made possible with the support of the United States Drug Administration (USDEA), said the agency has a very good and effective working relationship with narcotic agencies of other countries of the world where useful information that could lead to the monitoring and arrest of drug traffickers are exchanged. He said the agency in Nigeria has an effective network that is making it near impossible for drug trafficking.

large consignment of pure cocaine intercepted at Lagos Airport

“The drug was concealed in twenty-five (25) packs of floor tiles containing 4 parcels each of powdery substance that tested positive to cocaine. A total of 100 parcels weighing 110 kilograms with an estimated street value of N1.1 billion were found in the container. We had information about the content and movement of the container before it arrived Nigeria. We have been monitoring it until it got here and the supposed consignee came over to clear before we struck,” Giade said.

The NDLEA boss thanked the Nigerian Customs Service at the port for their support and cooperation during the search operation. He described the seizure as a positive start in the New Year for the agency. He gave credit to the USDEA for supplying the intelligence report that led to the successful tracking of the illicit drug consignment.

Giade added: “Investigation has started and is in progress. The suspected consignee is being interrogated by narcotic investigators. This search operation is a continuation of undercover work that commenced since November 2010. More arrests are in the offing. Together we shall make the country drug free as no drug baron will go unpunished.

art carvings used for the concealment of cocaine

Couple says they swallowed heroin on the street of Lagos



the wife with wraps of cocaine packed in her buttocks

 Husband and wife were the last batch of drug traffickers allegedly arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in 2010 with a large consignment of drugs meant for export. 60 year old Mr. Owolabi Ganiyu Amoo who is also known in some quarters as Johnson Bamiduro and his 57 year old wife, Mrs. Owolabi Ganiyu Omowunmi Eniola were arrested by operatives at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos for alleged drug ingestion on December 31, 2010 in the night thereby making them the last drug suspects arrested in the year. The couple said they ingested the drugs by the roadside at Tafawa Balewa Square Lagos before heading straight to the airport for departure.

The suspects who said they hail from Kwara state were arrested at the boarding gate of the Lagos airport during routine checks on Delta Airline passengers to the United States. NDLEA Commander at the airport, Alhaji Hamza Umar said the suspects allegedly ingested 160 wraps of powdery substance that was found to be heroin weighing 2.280 kilograms. He said the suspects completed excretion of the drugs at the early hours of yesterday. He said each of the suspects swallowed 80 wraps that weighed 1.140 kilograms, adding, “This is the first time both husband and wife will test positive to drug ingestion.”

wraps of cocaine concealed in handbag

Speaking to Daily Trust from his cell room, Owolabi Ganiyu Amoo said the woman arrested with him is his second wife and that they have been in drug business since 2009, adding, “I am a printer. A young man I met in a café introduced me into drug deal since 2009. I have two wives. My second wife that was arrested with me is my business partner because we deal in drugs together. I voluntarily agreed to smuggle drugs because of my financial problems. I need money for school fees, rent and feeding. I started the drug business in 2009. I feel sad and regret my involvement in drug trafficking. The excitement of 10,000 dollars per trip was irresistible. I was optimistic that travelling as husband and wife will not attract attention of security operatives,” he stated.

The wife, Mrs. Eniola Owolabi said she is a grandmother with five children, adding, “I was frustrated after my first husband died, but I found hope in drug trafficking with my new marriage to Owolabi Ganiyu. I did not know that it will end this way. I feel sad. If only I can get out of this case, I pray to God not to involve myself in drug trafficking in my life,” she stated

wraps of cocaine prepared for insertion and ingestion

“I carried heroin to treat my HIV” - 59 yrs old widow

 A 59 year old widow arrested at the Port Harcourt international airport by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for alleged drug ingestion has said that she decided to traffic the illicit drugs to be able to raise money for the treatment of her HIV status. Mrs Fati Akande who allegedly excreted 99 wraps of substance that tested positive to heroin in Port Harcourt after she was arrested during the screening of passengers at the Port Harcourt international airport on her way to the United States of America, insist she was not a criminal.

The suspect, Mrs Akande who said she is a mother of three and a widow was arrested during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 3051 to Paris from where she intend to board another flight to the US. She said she is not a criminal that wants to traffic the illicit drugs to make money for her but just to raise funds for the treatment of her HIV which she said required a lot of money.

“I did not need to do it. I went into it because I was sick and needed money for my treatment. I am HIV positive. I was tested at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in Lagos and I was found to be HIV positive. I need money to treat myself to remain alive. I do not have the money. I intend to deliver the drugs to a business partner in Netherlands who is also a Nigerian. I just hope the authorities will understand my plight.

“Yes, I hold a Nigerian international passport number A01392379 and an electronic ticket number 6UK7QU with which I suppose to board my flight. I had also obtained a boarding pass and was allocated to seat number 46A before they arrested me. I am an indigene of Iseyin local government of Oyo state but reside in Lagos. Yes, the heroin I was arrested with has a street value of N15 million in Nigeria but it would have cost twice that amount or more in Netherlands.

“I just want them to understand the logic in this saga. I am not a drug trafficker or consumer. I do not take drugs. I do not traffic drugs. I lost my husband a long time ago. I have nobody to help me. I tested positive to HIV. It is a terminal disease. I cannot fold my arms and watch me going down the grave. No help was coming from anywhere. I had to do something to save myself. It is better to take drugs, get the money to cure myself take die helplessly or go into crimes like armed robbery that could be injurious to others. People and the authorities should reason with me. It is not as if I am making it a trade,” she said.

But Commander of the NDLEA at the Port Harcourt airport, Mr. Julius Parah who confirmed the arrest said there is no short method to crime. He said the Federal Government is providing free medical treatment to people living with HIV test, nothing that the mere fact that one has tested positive to HIV is not enough to go into drug trafficking. He said though the agency sympathize with her situation as a person living with HIV, she will still have to face the wrath of the law for her involvement in drug trafficking.     

“We arrested her on Monday, December 27, 2010 at about 8.35pm. she was detected with the aid of the NDLEA scanning machine. She tried to deny at first. That is normal with most traffickers. We placed her on observation for some days within which she excreted all the 99 wraps she earlier ingested. The 99 wraps of heroin excreted by her weigh 1.408 kilograms. Investigation into her case has since commenced and we are making efforts to get hold of all her local and foreign collaborators. She will soon be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded,” he said.

Commenting on the matter, Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade said the arrest of Fati Akande is in line with the provisions of the laws of Nigeria as contained in the NDLEA Act, adding that her HIV positive status is not an immunity to her against drug trafficking. He said it would have been more honourable for Mrs. Akande to seek for assistance from government and other donor agencies than to get involved in such a criminal act.

“We have made arrangement to confirm her claims that she is HIV positive. Nevertheless, even if it is true that she has health challenge that does not make her a chartered libertine. What is important is that her action amounts to attempt to unlawfully export narcotics from the Port-Harcourt Airport. The position of the law is very clear on this and the appropriate legal line of action will be adhered to.

“She is entitled to intensive medical care while in our custody. That is her fundamental right and it is not in dispute. On our part, no one will be allowed to hide under the canopy of ill health to perpetrate criminal acts. We will ensure that she is charged to court to explain her actions. Charging her to court will serve as a deterrent to others who may want to go into crime on medical grounds,” he said.

Giade lamented the involvement of adults in drug trafficking, nothing that parents should not only distance themselves from drug trafficking and other related crimes but should be seen to be advising the younger ones against such acts. He pointed that the arrest of Mrs. Akande in Port Harcourt and the recent arrest of a couple at the Lagos airport over alleged ingestion of heroin are condemnable acts.

Giade commended his officers for the arrest stressing that their vigilance even at the last minutes of the previous year is a winning signal. He said the agency’s preparedness to adequately curb drug trafficking is non-negotiable. The NDLEA boss expressed disappointment at the involvement of the couple in drug trafficking given their old age adding that the law will take its course.

“We shall remain resolute on our mission of extra-vigilance at all times. The suspects wanted to capitalize on the end of year last moment frenzy to smuggle drugs. Our officers cannot because of the new year or any other celebration stop from discharging their duties professionally. The task of drug control is vital to national security and not even the aged or newlywed will make us lose concentration,” Giade promised.

Mr. Owolabi Ganiyu Amoo who is also known in some quarters as Johnson Bamiduro and his 57 year old wife, Mrs. Owolabi Ganiyu Omowunmi Eniola were arrested by operatives at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos for alleged drug ingestion on December 31, 2010. The couple were alleged to have ingested 160 wraps of powdery substance that was found to be heroin weighing 2.280 kilograms when they were on their way out of Nigeria. NDLEA Commander at the Lagos airport, Alhaji Hamza Umar said the suspects completed excretion of the drugs while in custody. He said each of the suspects swallowed 80 wraps that weighed 1.140 kilograms, adding, “This is the first time both husband and wife will test positive to drug ingestion

Legislative aide in drug trafficking deal, NASS car impounded

A member of the Federal House of Representatives and Governorship aspirant of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) from Zamfara state Alhaji Abdul-aziz Yari Abubakar has said that he was neither aware nor involve in the alleged trafficking of ten bags of Indian hemp found in his car. He said his Personal Assistant, Nuruddeen Ibrahim that was arrested in Auchi, Edo state with 10 bags of Indian hemp in the legislator’s official car and paraded by the police in the Edo state capital, Benin City did not consult him before he illegally took his car and stocked it with illicit drugs.

Nuruddeen Ibrahim was arrested in Auchi in a National Assembly official car with registration number FL 142 REP stocked with ten bags of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp when he was driving towards Abuja. The suspect was immediately transferred to the state police command headquarters in Benin City from where he was paraded before newsmen by the state commissioner of police, Mr Emmanuel Udeochi.

CP Udeochi told newsmen in Benin City while parading the suspect that Nuruddeen went to a village near Auchi where he allegedly bought 50 bags of Indian hemp and decided to stock the official legislator’s car he was driving with ten bags of the substance. He said the suspect was about leaving the village when some people volunteered information to the local police in the area on the movements and activities of the suspect.

He said policemen were alerted and the suspect was immediately arrested as he was trying to drive out of Auchi. CP Emmanuel Udeochi said when the car was searched, ten bags of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp were found stocked in the booth of the car. He said the car and the suspected Indian hemp have since been taken into custody while the suspect is being questioned by detectives over the alleged drug deal.

Answering questions from Sunday Trust, Nuruddeen Ibrahim said he is the Personal Assistant to Alhaji Abdul-aziz Yari Abubakar of the House of Representatives and that the car he used in trafficking the illicit drugs belong to the legislator. He said he has been working with the legislator for the past three years. Nuruddeen however, said Alhaji Abdul-aziz was not aware that he took the car and engaged in drug trafficking as the legislator is in Saudi Arabia when the incident happened.

Nuruddeen said this was his second time of trafficking in Indian hemp and that he went to the village and bought 50 bags of Indian hemp at the sum of N50,000. He said he has it on authority that those that sold the Indian hemp were the same people that tipped the police about his movement. He said he was attracted to trafficking in Indian hemp because of the gains in it. He lamented that the legislator may not ever trust him again because he betrayed his trust.

In a one page press statement signed and made available to Sunday Trust by Alhaji Sa’ad Faruk Muhammad, the Special Assistant to Alhaji Abdul-aziz Yari Abubakar, the legislature said he does not condone criminal activities and so the suspect is on his own.

“My attention has been drawn to a publication by a number of national dailies on the report of the Edo state police that one Nuruddeen Ibrahim, my Personal Assistant was arrested at Auchi carrying 10 bags of Indian hemp locked in the boot of a Peugeot car. Even though the person made a confessional statement that I am currently in Saudi Arabia for the 2010 Holy pilgrimage and not in anyway connected to the heinous act, there is the need to further reaffirm my absolute lack of knowledge of the happening.

“My Special Assistant, Alhaji Sa’ad Faruk Muhammad who is the custodian of all official matters in my office has not been in Abuja since on the 30^th October, 2010 over the demise of his wife. Nuruddeen Ibrahim therefore, used the advantage of our absence and illegally accessed the key to the said vehicle and perpetrated the act,” the letter read in part.

But barely two weeks after the arrest of Nuruddeen by the police, he is yet to be handed over to the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) even as the police in Edo could not charge him to court. NDLEA head of public affairs, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju said though the agency has very good working relationship with other security agencies including the police that provide for the transfer of drug suspects to NDLEA, Nuruddeen Ibrahim was not transferred to the agency by the police.

Mr. Mitchell said the arrest of the legislative aide is part of the tricks being used by drug traffickers to traffic in drugs. He said the agency had recently arrested a Nigerian carrying Cote-D’Ivoire international passport was at the weekend at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos with Thailand cocaine. The suspect, who said his Nigerian Igbo name, is Anayo Odumegu was arrested with a Cote-D’Ivoire passport bearing Alla Kouassi Alphonse but with his passport photograph. The 35 years old was nabbed at the airport on arrival after he tested positive to drugs ingestion.

Mr Mitchel Ofoyeju said that preliminary investigation by the agency revealed that the suspect is a professional drug trafficker with established contacts in Thailand and China, adding, “He tested positive to drug ingestion at the weekend during inward screening of Emirate flight passengers from the Philippines. Some wraps of the powdery substance that he ingested have tested positive to cocaine. This is the first time a passenger coming from the Philippine will be arrested with drugs at the Lagos airport.”

Speaking with Sunday Trust in a telephone interview, NDLEA Commander at the Lagos airport, Alhaji Hamza Umar said the suspect allegedly concealed his identity in committing the alleged act. “He is a Nigerian from Ihiala, Anambra State but was caught with Cote-D’Ivoire international passport. The case is already under investigation. His nationality will not in anyway affect our investigation.

“Our preliminary investigation shows that the suspect is an independent and professional drug smuggler. He is believed to have facilitated drug transactions in Thailand and China. It was also gathered that he solely financed the current drug deal. He confessed to ingesting 60 wraps of cocaine while ten thousand dollars ($10,000) cash suspected to be illicit drug proceeds was also recovered from him. He told us he lived in China between 2002 and 2006 before relocating to Manila, Republic of Philippines. He is married to a Filipino and has two children,” Hamza said.

Hamza said the suspect wrote in his statement to the agency that he is under financial pressure as the breadwinner of his extended family to provide a lot of money for them. “I ingested 60 pieces of cocaine. My father is dead and the family looks onto me for their upkeep. I actually wanted to settle my mother and younger ones but I was caught in the process. I feel very bad now,” the suspect’s statement read in part.

The Chairman and Chief Executive of the Agency, Ahmadu Giade described the arrest as a warning to drug traffickers. According to the NDLEA boss, no route is safe for the criminal trade. “We are adequately prepared to apprehend drug traffickers and seize their drugs. This arrest is a strong warning to drug traffickers that no route is safe for them. We shall remain on the alert because as they are changing their routes, we are equally perfecting our control techniques,” Giade warned.