Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an Uber driver, Lawal Tunde Rasheed, and two other drug traffickers at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos State, with different quantities of cocaine.
This was revealed in a statement by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.
Rasheed was arrested on Tuesday, June 8th when he brought a consignment from his client to a freight forwarder for export to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea.
When the package was searched, 150grams of cocaine concealed inside two pieces of air freshener were discovered.
A follow up operation the following day led to the arrest of one Egbo Emmanuel Maduka, in his residence on Wednesday 9th June. Investigations have so far confirmed that Egbo is behind the two seizures of 50grams of cocaine in hair attachment and another 150grams of cocaine concealed in air freshener, heading to Malabo. The seizures were made on 4th and 8th June, 2021 respectively.
Also on Friday, June 11th, 2021, a male passenger, Udogwu James Johnson on Qatar Airlines from GRU in Brazil was arrested at the D-arrival hall of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport with nine wraps of cocaine that weighed 300grams in his pant.
In a related development, a 27-year-old final year student of Petroleum Engineering student in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Bauchi State, Ali Mohammed, was arrested with 3.032kg of cannabis sativa at a motor park in Iddo, Lagos, following a tip off on Thursday 10th June, 2021.
Ali, who hails from Nguru, Yobe State, but brought up in Lagos, claimed that while on his way to the motor park in Iddo, from Obalende where he lives, he met an acquaintance, Ahmed, who upon learning that he was traveling back to ATBU, Bauchi via Kano implored him (the suspect) to help deliver a travel bag containing the seized 3.032kg of cannabis sativa to one Ugo who lives in Sabon gari, Kano State.
Ahmed told the suspect that he would send Ugo’s phone number to him through SMS to facilitate the delivery of the consignment when he arrives Kano. The suspect, who admitted knowing that the bag contained drugs, however, denied receiving or being promised any form of gratification for agreeing to take the drugs to Kano.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the MMIA and Lagos state Commands of the Agency for the feats while charging the officers and men of the two Commands not to rest on their oars.