Abati: I thought I could rattle Tinubu during media chat — but he knows what he’s doing

By Abiodun Sanusi

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 40-year-old ‘businessman’, Sherif Egbo, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja while attempting to board an Air France flight to Paris, France, after the anti-narcotics agents discovered he ingested illicit drugs.

The spokesperson for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi noted that the Spain-based Egbo was arrested on Saturday, October 14 after a body scanner revealed that he had wraps of illicit drugs in his stomach.

“He was subsequently placed under observation at the agency’s exhibit recovery room where he excreted 93 pellets of heroin weighing 2.222 kilogrammes. In his statement, the suspect claimed he works at a chicken hatchery farm in Madrid, Spain, and also in the drug trafficking business,” Babafemi revealed in a weekly communique released on Sunday.

The communique further revealed that NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO imports shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos on Monday, October 16, seized a consignment of 10 cartons containing 500,000 pills of tramadol 225mg branded as tapentadol.

The cargo, which was shipped from India through Qatar Airways with airwaybill number MAWB 319-01227236 was purported to be a transit cargo to Monrovia, Liberia. However, the lid was blown open through partnership and real-time intelligence-sharing mechanisms between NDLEA and its Liberian counterpart.

Also, an attempt by an intending passenger, Ngene Chinecherem, to Muscat, Oman on Qatar Airways, to export 11.100kgs of skunk and 600grams of tramadol concealed in foodstuffs through the Lagos airport was thwarted by NDLEA officers who arrested him and seized the illicit substances.

In another operation, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations, DOGI, attached to courier companies on Sunday, October 15, intercepted 1kg methamphetamine concealed in containers of body cream going to New Zealand as well as another consignment of 2.5kgs cocaine and phenacetin hidden in walls of a carton heading to Saudi Arabia.

Two more seizures – 112 grams of Dimethyl Sulfone and 583 grams of Cocaine and phenacetin were made at another courier company in Lagos on Wednesday, October 18. While the Dimethyl Sulfone was concealed in the hollow of a motor driving shaft going to New Zealand, the consignment of Cocaine and phenacetin was packed into a bottle of body cream heading to Saudi Arabia.

In Imo state, operatives on Sunday, October 15, intercepted a Mercedes Benz container truck marked ABN 418 YN parked in an isolated area along the Owerri-Onitsha expressway. A search of the abandoned truck led to the recovery of 168 bags of skunk weighing 1,854 kilograms.

The week-long report further revealed that less than 1,381.3kgs of the same substance were seized in four interdiction operations in parts of Edo state including – Ekpon community, Igueben LGA; Iguiye forest in Ovia North East LGA; Iruekpen, Ndokwa West where a suspect, Monday Nwocha was arrested; and in Egwalor village in Onwude LGA where the duo of Obune Prince and Chika Obi were arrested and their Audi 80 salon car marked BEN 406 CL loaded with cannabis sativa, recovered.

In Kano state, an ex-convict, Aminu Suleiman, 46, was arrested along with Haruna Abdurrahaman, 41, and Ojo Esezobor, 34, at Gadar Tamburawa area of the state on Saturday, October 14 while 106kgs of cannabis were recovered from them. The NDLEA noted that Aminu was first arrested with 22kgs of cannabis on June 3, 2022, and was convicted by the court on November 24, 2022.

Four other suspects – Inusa Ali, Yahaya Musa, Abba Audu, Ali Abubakar, and Bunu Kyari were also arrested at Gadar Tamburawa area of Kano on Monday 16th October for dealing in 75.3kgs of skunk.

Meanwhile, operatives of the Zone J Command of the NDLEA seized 478kgs of cannabis in a forest in Ikere Ekiti on Friday, October 20, as operatives of the Ondo state command recovered a total of 928kgs of the same substance in a bush by Shagari market, along Ifon-Owo express road, and Ibola camp, Ipele forest.

In Borno state, a suspect – Sani Mohammed, 31, was arrested on Saturday, October 21, with 182kgs of cannabis at Njimtilo, along Maiduguri – Damaturu road. (Punch)