Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested the General Overseer of Christ Living Hope Church, Reverned Ugochukwu Emmanuel Ekwem at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos while on his way to a three-week crusade in Nairobi, Kenya, with 54 sticks of drugs wrapped around his body.
The youthful and popular preacher who has his church headquarters in Isuaniocha, Mgbakwu road, Awka, Awka North LGA, Anambra State and two other branches in Lagos and Abuja, was arrested last Monday during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight to Nairobi via Addis Ababa.
According to the NDLEA spokesmen, Femi Babafemi, when tested, the 54 sticks proved positive to cannabis.
The clergyman confessed during preliminary interview that he packed that quantity of illicit substance on his body to use during his three weeks crusade in Kenya.
On the same day, another passenger, Nnakeanyi Chukwuka King who arrived the airport on Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa was intercepted during the inward clearance of passengers at the E-Arrival Hall of the MMIA.
During a search of his luggage, forty (40) parcels of Cocaine concealed inside bottles of body cream with a gross weight of 9.70kg were recovered from the suspect.
Three days later, Wednesday 9th March, another passenger on Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy, Edo Blessing was intercepted at the Departure Hall of the airport with 2, 090 tablets of Tramadol 225mg and Flunitrazepam.
The suspect who hails from Edo state but lives in Italy claimed ownership of the recovered psychotropic substances.
On the same day, operatives arrested a freight agent, Rafiu Abbas at the NAHCO Export Shed of the airport when he presented a cargo containing 19.15kg cannabis going to London.
The illicit substance was concealed inside plastic containers labelled as “African Dishes” and packed in a bag.
In a related development, a 63-year-old Vincent Obimma was on Friday 11th March arrested with 350 grams of cocaine and 150grams of heroin by NDLEA operatives at a park in the Apapa seaport corridor in Lagos.
Also read: NDLEA intercepts 3 million opioid capsules at Lagos seaport
The drugs were hidden in industrial torch packets heading to Kano, Kano state.
Meanwhile, a drug dealer in Kaduna state, James Okenwa has been arrested in a follow up operation at Central Market, Kaduna.
Okenwa admitted the ownership of 1,807 bottles of cough syrup with codeine that were earlier recovered from two suspects at tollgate.
At the point of his arrest, another 152 bottles of the drug were recovered from his vehicle.
The suspect has accepted ownership of all the 1,959 bottles of the codeine syrup.
Also in Yobe State, two fake security agents: Akalonu Justin and Azimbi Festus who were coming from Onitsha and heading to Maiduguri, Borno State have been arrested with 25 blocks of Cannabis Sativa weighing 12 .5kg and 1, 598 bottles of Codeine Syrup weighing 159.8 Liters, while 85kg of cannabis was also recovered from the warehouse of a notorious drug dealer in Pawari area of Damaturu, the state capital on Thursday 10th March.
In Anambra state, a total of 38,605 tablets of assorted opioids were recovered from a 29-year-old drug dealer, Awoke Friday at Nkwelle junction, Onitsha on Friday 11th March with the support of men of the Nigeria Police.
Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie
