Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have made a record-breaking cocaine seizure at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano State, arresting businessman Olisaka Chibuzo Calistus with 256 wraps of cocaine weighing six kilograms.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi described the arrest on Sunday, December 15, as a significant milestone for the Kano airport. “The seizure, which is the single largest interception of cocaine at the Kano airport since the creation of MAKIA Command of NDLEA in 2006, was made on Sunday during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941 from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,” Babafemi said.
The suspect, an importer and exporter, reportedly concealed the cocaine pellets in his body, which were discovered during a routine screening.
The NDLEA also disrupted other drug trafficking operations at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. An ex-convict, Olanrewaju Bada Akorede, was caught attempting to export Rohypnol to South Africa. The drugs were hidden among cargo items such as gari, shoes, and men’s singlets.
Babafemi revealed, “He was sentenced to two years imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Lagos with an option to pay a fine of N900,000, which he paid before returning to repeat the same crime.”
Additionally, NDLEA operatives arrested Italy-based businesswoman Cynthia Akaeen at Lagos Airport’s Terminal 2 on December 18. Cynthia was caught trying to smuggle 9,190 tablets of various tramadol brands weighing six kilograms while boarding a Royal Air Maroc flight to Italy. Babafemi disclosed, “She was promised 1,000 Euros upon successful delivery of the consignment in Italy.”
The NDLEA’s recent successes highlight its unwavering commitment to combating drug trafficking across Nigeria’s airports. Babafemi assured the public that the agency would continue its efforts to bring offenders to justice and dismantle drug networks.
