Nosa Aituamen
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted multiple drug trafficking attempts, including the arrest of a 42-year-old Angolan businessman, Mbala Dajou Abuba, at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
The suspect, a native of Zaire province in Angola, according to a statement by the spokesman, NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi, was apprehended on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, while attempting to board an Egypt Air flight MS 880 to Istanbul, Turkey, via Cairo.
He said, a body scan confirmed that he had ingested illicit substances, prompting authorities to place him under excretion observation.
Over the course of seven excretions, he expelled 120 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.829 kilograms while during interrogation, Abuba admitted to previously running a township delivery service in Angola before turning to drug trafficking.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives foiled an attempt by auto spare parts dealer Okeke Ebuka Igwe to smuggle 1.10 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside vehicle propellers.
The illicit consignment, bound for Angola, was intercepted at the export shed of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Monday, February 24, 2025, following credible intelligence.
Igwe, who operates at the ASPANDA Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, was subsequently arrested.
Meanwhile, at Tincan Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, uncovered 128 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden inside two mattresses placed in the trunk of a Toyota Venza imported from Canada.
The 63.75-kilogram drug consignment was found in a targeted container (TCNU 1945861) from Montreal during a joint examination on Friday, February 28, 2025.
The statement disclosed that, authorities have arrested 44-year-old Bamidele Joseph, the consignee of the shipment, who is now in custody.
The NDLEA has reaffirmed its commitment to combating drug trafficking and ensuring that Nigeria’s airports and seaports remain hostile environments for illicit drug trade.