Drug Trafficker Excretes N360m Cocaine at Lagos Airport

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

A 47-year-old drug trafficker, Chigbogu Obiora has excreted 97 wraps of cocaine after his arrest and being placed under observation by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA,) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos.

The street value of the drugs weighing 1.55 kilogrammes is put at N360 million.
A statement yesterday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi disclosed that Obiora was arrested at about 1:16p.m. on Sunday 25th April, 2021 during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline.

Babafemi said Obiora had arrived Lagos on board the airline from Entebbe, Uganda via Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Commander, MMIA Command of the anti-drug law enforcement agency, Ahmadu Garba, speaking on the arrest said: “Obiora was intercepted in the E-arrival hall of the airport by the operatives of NDLEA on the suspicion that he ingested drug substance.

The suspect was taken for body machine scan and the result was positive for ingestion of substance suspected to be illicit drug. The suspect was promptly moved to the NDLEA excretion/observation facility.”

He disclosed that barely an hour after he was arrested, Obiora excreted 31 wraps of cocaine weighing 500 grammes and another 47 wraps (750 grammes) in the evening of same day while 19 warps (300 grammes) were excreted the following day, Monday 26th April, bringing the total to 97 wraps, that is, 1.55 kilogrammes.

He said under interrogation, Obiora claimed he was promised $1,500 if he successfully trafficked the drug and that he opted for the ‘deal’ because he needed money.
He was quoted to have said: “I did it so that I will be capable of feeding my family. I was living in Madagascar but due to the COVID-19 and the lockdown in the country, I couldn’t go back to my place of work.

“There was a time I started lacking money to feed my family and to pay my children’s school fees and the worst part of it is to pay my rent. So, I decided to take the option to do it.”

He said he never knew he could be arrested while stating that he had never met the real owner of the drug. “I don’t know him, they contacted me on phone and asked if I can do the business,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, in continuation of efforts to dismantle all drug spots in Ondo State, the state Command of the Agency raided two joints, arrested two dealers and seized 80.2 kilogrammes of skuchies, while four hectares of cannabis farms were destroyed in Eleyewo area of Akure South local government.

The acting Commander of the Agency in the state, Callys Alumona said a lady, 31-year-old Ibukunoluwa Kemi and a 25-year-old young man, Oluwaseun Sunday were arrested with 78 kilogrammes and 2.2 kilogrammes of skuchies respectively.

Both were nabbed in different areas of Akure south in the state capital.

Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the MMIA and Ondo state Commands of the Agency for the seizures and arrests.

He charged them and those in other Commands across the country not to rest on their oars in the renewed efforts to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs.