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General News of Monday, 23 August 2021

Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

NDLEA nabs wanted drug dealer in church

NDLEA officials NDLEA officials

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a major drug dealer wanted for attempting to export 69.65kilogrammes of cocaine, heroin and cannabis to the United Kingdom through the NAHCO export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The suspect, Stephen Afam Ikeanyionwu, was picked up by operatives of the agency at a church in Ojodu, Ikeja, Lagos State.

A statement released by the agency on Sunday said it had traced Ikeanyionwu on Sunday, August 15,  to a popular Pentecostal church on Mike Ajari Street, Ojodu Berger, where it arrested him soon after he stepped out of service. His arrest followed the interception of a consignment of illicit drugs weighing 69.65kg going to the UK through the Lagos airport on Thursday, August 12, 2021.

Director, media and advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, said the illegal baggage had been sent to the airport for export through a freight company, which in turn gave a driver to deliver at the NAHCO export shed.

Following the arrest of the driver, follow-up operations and investigations later revealed the true identity of the actual owner of the consignment, alleged to be Ikeanyionwu, who was arrested three days later in a sting operation.

Also at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives arrested an Italy-bound passenger, Abibu Miminu, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airways flight to Italy via Addis-Ababa for ingesting illicit drugs. While under observation at the agency’s facility between Saturday, August 14, and Sunday, August 15, 2021, the trafficker excreted 68 wraps of heroin in three excretions, all weighing 800 grams.

In the same vein, narcotic officers of the directorate of operations and general investigation, have intercepted at two courier companies in Lagos 840g of methamphetamine going to Australia, concealed in bolts; 340g of Meth hidden in locally made footwear and also going to Australia; 1kg of cocaine coming from Ghana with the UK as destination and concealed in four local guitars. Also seized from one of the courier firms was another 480g of Meth concealed in footwear going to Australia.

A South Africa returnee, Obi Chigozie Samuel, was also last Sunday arrested at the Lagos airport during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines from Addis-Ababa, for importing 58g of skunk into Nigeria. During a preliminary interview, he admitted ownership and claimed to be a cannabis smoker.

In strings of operations in Edo, Ondo, Kaduna, Kano and Kogi states, at least 2,504.8kg of diverse illicit drugs were seized from multiple suspects in the past week.