Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a 48-year-old businessman, Orizu Ifeanyi Arthur while attempting to board an Air France flight 844 from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA Abuja to Paris, France for ingesting 74 wraps of heroin and cocaine.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi said Orizu was arrested at the boarding gate of the Abuja airport on Sunday, December 22 during the outward clearance of passengers on Air France. When he was pulled aside for body scan, he turned down the request claiming his medical condition would not allow him.
Orizu was later taken into custody for excretion observation, during which he excreted a total of 74 wraps of the Class A drugs over a period of seven days.
In his statement, Orizu claimed he owns a shop at Balogun market, Lagos Island where he sells school and travelling bags, adding that he was promised 3,000 Euros upon successful delivery of the consignment in Paris.
He left his base in Lagos for the Abuja airport to connect his Air France flight to Paris, hoping to escape detection.
In another interdiction effort, operatives of the Marine Command of NDLEA at 2:30am on Christmas eve, December 24 intercepted two boats loaded with 1,960 kilogrammes of Ghanaian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis at the Eleko beach in Lekki area of Lagos.
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Six foreign nationals who brought the consignments from Ghana were arrested during the operation. The suspects are two Ghanaians, Godsway John, 38 years old and Freedom Kelvin, 33 years old, as well as four Beninese, Chegoun Hounsou; Gadabor Nyameto, 47 years old Adantg Sasa; 34 years old and Ayao Kayivi, 21.
In Katsina, a suspect 35 years old Ibrahim Shaibu, was arrested in possession of 40 album-size parcels of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 35 kilogrammes on Christmas day at Central Motor Park, Katsina, while another suspect Umar Ahmed, 47, was nabbed along Zaria-Malumfashi Road in Katsina State with 27 parcels of same psychoactive substance weighing 13.5 kilogrammes on December 28.
A 21-year-old suspect, Kosisochukwu Ozigbo was arrested at new Lagos Road Benin City, Edo state when the area was raided on December 23 by NDLEA operatives. Items recovered from the suspect include: 32,490 pills of tramadol 225mg, 200mg and 100mg; 936 bottles of codeine-based syrup and various quantities of other opioids.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
