UK-bound 74-year-old arrested at Abuja airport with 11kg of cocaine

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

A 74-year-old Nigerian man has been arrested at Abuja’s international airport after authorities discovered 11 kilograms of cocaine concealed in his luggage as he attempted to board a flight to the United Kingdom.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said the suspect, identified as Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, was intercepted at the departure hall of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Saturday while trying to board a British Airways flight to London Heathrow.

According to the statement signed by the director, media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi, a search of his luggage uncovered blocks of cocaine hidden inside food items, including ground dry pepper, and carefully wrapped in foil papers and balloons.

The arrest came as NDLEA officers also intercepted large quantities of opioids and other illicit drugs during separate operations across Lagos and other parts of the country.

In Lagos, officials seized 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup concealed in two containers at Apapa seaport during a joint inspection by NDLEA officers, customs officials and other security agencies. The containers had earlier been placed under surveillance following intelligence reports suggesting they contained concealed opioids.

Elsewhere in Lagos, two suspects — Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim — were arrested at Ebute Ero on Lagos Island after officers recovered 68,000 tramadol pills. Authorities said the suspects had loaded the drugs into a truck and were preparing to transport them to neighbouring Benin Republic.

A follow-up raid at the Idumota market led to the arrest of Nnamdi Cyprian, believed to be the owner of the consignment. Investigators said a parcel containing 1,000 tramadol tablets prepared for dispatch was found in his shop. In another operation at the same market, Nwanosike Kelvin was arrested and 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection recovered.

Earlier in the week, NDLEA officers arrested a woman, Maryam Olalowo, at a hotel in Victoria Island where she was allegedly attempting to sell small quantities of cocaine and a cannabis strain known as Canadian Loud. She was found with her three children, including an infant.

Officials later arrested her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, who admitted ownership of the drugs. Investigators said he had previously been convicted and sentenced to two and a half years in prison for a similar offence in 2015.Drug seizures were also recorded in other parts of the country. In Kano, a 42-year-old suspect, Magaji Dan Azumi, was arrested with 386 kilograms of skunk, while in Abuja officers recovered 282.2 kilograms of the same substance from another suspect in Gwagwalada.

In Edo State, operatives raided the Egwa forest reserve in Orhionmwon Local Government Area, arresting a suspect and destroying more than 4.2 tonnes of skunk cultivated on two farms, while 16.5 kilograms of the substance were recovered.

The NDLEA said its anti-drug awareness campaign, known as the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), also continued nationwide with sensitisation programmes held in schools across Nasarawa, Oyo, Delta, Cross River and Edo states.

The agency’s chairman, retired Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged personnelnationwide to maintain efforts aimed at both reducing drug supply and preventing abuse.