The Nationwide Drug Regulation Enforcement Company has thwarted an effort via a 26-year-old nursing scholar, Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinma, to smuggle 76 wraps of cocaine to Republic of India.
Esther, a 200-level scholar at Noida Global College, Uttar Pradesh, was once apprehended at Royal Terrain Lodge, Sabon Gari, Kano, hours ahead of her scheduled Qatar Airlines gliding to Delhi on 17 January 2025.
This was once disclosed in a remark signed via the company’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, and revealed at the company’s website online on Sunday.
The remark learn, “An effort via 26-year-old Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinma, a 200-level nursing scholar at Noida Global College, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, to swallow 76 wraps of cocaine hours ahead of her go back gliding to the South Asian nation via Mallam Aminu Kano Global Airport (MAKIA), Kano, has been thwarted via operatives of the Nationwide Drug Regulation Enforcement Company (NDLEA).
“Esther was scheduled to return to Delhi, India, from MAKIA, Kano, on Qatar Airways flight 1432 on Friday, 17 January 2025, but was arrested in her hotel room at 11:30 pm on Thursday, 16 January, at Royal Park Hotel, Sabon Gari, Kano, while awaiting the cocaine consignment she was meant to ingest before her flight the following morning.”
Her arrest adopted a sting operation wherein a courier, Cosmas Okorie, was once intercepted era transporting the cocaine, opaque in an audio speaker.
The remark added, “Her operation was once exposed when NDLEA operatives on patrol alongside the Okene-Lokoja Freeway in Kogi Circumstance on Thursday, 16 January, intercepted 31-year-old Cosmas Okorie in a commuter bus travelling from Lagos to Kano. Inside of his lightless polythene bag was once an audio speaker concealing 76 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.340 kilograms, which he meant to bring to Esther in Kano.
“A swift follow-up operation in Kano led to the arrest of the female nursing student later the same day.”
In her remark, Esther claimed the drug cartel she was once running for had recruited her in Republic of India and paid for her commute to Nigeria to benefit from the Christmas and Unutilized Day vacations.
To restrain her oldsters from figuring out she was once in Nigeria, Esther have shyed away from visiting her house circumstance, Imo, and rather stayed in a lodge in Enugu for 2 weeks ahead of being flown to Abuja and later Kano. She was once lodged at Royal Terrain Lodge, the place she was once recommended to ingest the 76 pellets of cocaine despatched to her from Lagos ahead of boarding her Qatar Airlines gliding to Republic of India.
Esther mentioned she was once promised over $5,000 upon a hit supply of the illicit consignment.
Moreover, NDLEA officials arrested 4 suspects alongside the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Freeway transporting over 38,000 tramadol tablets opaque in audio audio system and clothes destined for Maiduguri, Kano, and Abuja.
The remark mentioned, “In other operations along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Highway, NDLEA officers arrested four suspects: Abdullahi Umar, Tijjani Samaila, Lucky Obotte, and Abubakar Haruna, who were travelling to Maiduguri, Borno State, Kano, and Abuja in commuter vehicles with over 38,000 pills of tramadol (225mg, 250mg, and 100mg) concealed in audio speakers and clothing.”
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives performed more than one raids, arresting a number of suspects and seizing massive amounts of illicit medication. A raid in Ojodu-Berger exposed 10 parcels of Canadian Raucous hashish (4.9kg) and packaging fabrics with side road names like “Dead Man” and “Gelato Cake”.
In Igando, 3 suspects had been apprehended with 1,610kg of hashish, 6kg of tramadol, and automobiles old for drug distribution.
Some other raid in Lekki ended in the fix of 28kg of Canadian Raucous, era operations in Lagos Island and alternative portions of Lekki exposed 67kg of hashish, codeine syrup, tramadol, Molly, methamphetamine, and ₦623,650 in money.
The remark persisted, “In Lagos, operatives of a unique operations unit of the company on Tuesday, 14 January, raided the hideout of a 59-year-old, Nwokedi Emeka Jonas, within the Ojodu-Berger section of the circumstance, the place they recovered 10 parcels of Canadian Raucous, a man-made pressure of hashish weighing 4.9kg, in addition to other paper baggage he old for doling out the psychoactive substance in retail amounts. Imprinted on the baggage had been side road names and codes equivalent to ‘Dead Man’, ‘Gelato Top Shelf Smoke’, ‘Topshelf’, and ‘Gelato Cake’.
“In alternative operations in Lagos, operatives of the Circumstance Command of the Company on Wednesday, 15 January, raided a space in Igando Unutilized The city, Alimosho, the place they arrested 3 suspects: Isaac Vincent (32), Ebube Ikechi (25), and Christopher Usifoh (43). They recovered 1,610kg of skunk, a pressure of hashish, and 6kg of tramadol tablets. Additionally recovered from the home had been a supply van and 3 automobiles old for distributing the illicit medication.
“Two suspects, Olashile Okoya and Mohammed Ibrahim, had been arrested on Saturday, 18 January, when NDLEA officials raided their house at 5A Addison Palmer, Cadogan Property, Citadel Rock Street, Osapa, Lekki, Lagos, the place 28kg of Canadian Raucous was once recovered following credible knowledge.
“Not less than 67kg of skunk was seized from Saheed Sulaiman on Thursday, 16 January, when NDLEA operatives raided his Edumare Street, Lagos Island hideout. Various quantities of assorted illicit substances were also recovered from Adamu Abdullahi on Tuesday, 14 January, when NDLEA officers raided his hideout at Jerry Irabi Estate, Lekki. These included 3.7 litres of codeine syrup, 10,000 pills of tramadol, 1,670 tablets of Rohypnol, 6.5kg of cannabis, 3,100 tablets of diazepam, 10,090 tablets of Molly, 5,500 tablets of Exol-5, 1.2kg of methamphetamine crisps, and ₦623,650 in cash.”
In Kano, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects in Dawakin Tofa Native Govt Branch with 7.6kg of skunk, 78 tubes of rubber answer, and 356 bottles of the psychoactive substance “Suck and Die”. Some other operation alongside Zaria Street ended in the arrest of a suspect with 114 blocks of skunk weighing 49.8kg.
The remark added, “In Kano, two suspects, Usama Adamu (25) and Isah Ibrahim (29), were arrested on Friday, 17 January, at Dawanau, Dawakin Tofa LGA, where 7.6kg of skunk, 78 tubes of rubber solution, and 356 bottles of ‘Suck and Die’, a new psychoactive substance, were recovered. In another raid in Kano, Usman Isa (29) was nabbed along Zaria Road with 114 blocks of skunk weighing 49.8kg.”
In Kwara, NDLEA operatives arrested 3 suspects in Bode Saadu with 390 Molly pills and 65.5kg of hashish, era in Taraba, a suspect was once stuck transporting 25,000 tramadol tablets alongside the Wukari-Zaki Ibiam Street.
The remark concluded: “Three suspects, Lawali Isiaka, Umoru Isiaka, and Mohammed Kabiru, were arrested on Wednesday, 15 January, by NDLEA operatives with 390 tablets of Molly and 65.5kg of cannabis at Bode Saadu in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State. Meanwhile, Samuel Ogbu (24) was nabbed with 25,000 pills of tramadol along Wukari-Zaki Ibiam Road, Wukari Local Government Area, Taraba State.”