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Michael Olugbode in Abuja

A 43-year-old female make-up artist, Adekoya Adebukonla, who claimed to be travelling to India for a fibroid surgery, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos after the walls of her bag was found to be factory fitted with 2.2 kilogrammes of cocaine.

A statement by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi said the suspect was arrested last Monday based on credible intelligence.

Babafemi said the suspect who was under surveillance was allowed to check in her luggage and arrested at the point of boarding her Qatar Airways flight to India via Doha, when her luggage was searched, two large parcels of cocaine weighing 2.2 kilogrammes were found concealed in the walls of the suitcase she was carrying.

Babafemi said in her statement, Adekoya claimed she embarked on the trip for financial benefits but under the pretext of going to India for surgery to remove fibroid from her stomach.

He said further investigation revealed the suspect was recruited and funded by a drug baron currently at large, Akeem Adekanbi who owns Rockford Hotel located in Sango area of Ogun State while he resides at Igbe Laara in Igbogbo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.

Babafemi said at a courier company in Lagos, NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI) last Thursday intercepted a shipment of sewn female dresses containing 1.3 kilogrammes Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, going to Bahrain, while at another courier firm the previous day, Wednesday, operatives uncovered 850 grammes of cocaine concealed in cloth hangers heading to Australia.

In Bauchi State, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence last Monday arrested the duo of Ibrahim Galadima, 37, and Ibrahim Muhammed, 28, along Bauchi-Darazo Road.

A total of 1,013,000 pills of opioids namely: tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 were recovered from them, while 38-year-old Bishir Isyaku was nabbed last Tuesday at Gwargwaje along Kaduna – Zaria expressway with 14.2 kilogrammes skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in two sacks of charcoal and seven cartons of rubber solution weighing 198 kilogrammes.

NDLEA operatives in Abuja last Wednesday arrested Murtala Adamu, Ahmed Ismai’l and four others during raid operations at Karu Abbattoir and Torabora areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). 6.9 kilogrammes skunk and 59 grammes of methamphetamine were recovered from them.

In Kano, NDLEA officers on patrol along Zaria-Kano Road last Thursday arrested Umar Hamisu, 19, and Dahiru Abdullahi, 32, with 56.2 kilogrammes skunk, while another suspect Obiwuru Henry, 27, was nabbed same day with 23,720 capsules of tramadol and 1,400 ampoules of pentazocine along Jaba Road, Fagge Local Government Area.

Similarly, Abubakar Modu, 60, was nabbed with 36.6 kilogrammes skunk and Abdulkadir Muhammed, 28, with 32 kilogrammes of same substance along Zaria-Kano Road on Saturday.

A 22-year-old female student of Kwara State Polytechnic, Olotin Nifemi, notorious for selling illicit substances to other students, was last Thursday arrested at her base along Kwara Poly road, Ilorin, with 1 kilogramme skunk.

A total of 4,226.11 kilogrammes skunk was destroyed at Ugbada Camp, Uzebba Forest, Owan West locLGA, Edo State when NDLEA operatives raided the camp to destroy cannabis farms on Friday 20th June.

A suspect, Albert Shamaki, 33, was nabbed during the operation. Operatives Thursday 19th June raided the Big Jamaya supermarket at Emado community in Esan West Local Government Area where a suspect Esther Abumere, 28, was arrested and assorted illicit drugs recovered.

 Illicit substances seized include: Colorado, Loud, Molly, Tramadol and other opioids. Another raid at a provision shop at Idumeka Igueben led to the seizure of 1.143 kilogrammes skunk and arrest of a female suspect, Eko Gift, 38.

Babafemi said the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA commands equally continued across the country in the past week.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of MMIA, DOGI, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Edo and FCT commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.