KEY POINTS

• NDLEA arrested a suspect who excreted cocaine at Enugu airport and an engineer caught with over 10,000 opioid pills in Abuja.
• The agency intercepted MDMA and Tramadol shipments hidden in household items at a Lagos courier company.
• Major drug raids in Edo, Kano, Lagos, and Ekiti led to the recovery of large quantities of skunk and opioid pills, with several suspects arrested.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a suspected drug trafficker, Onyeka Valentine Emeka, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu after he allegedly excreted cocaine concealed in his stomach.

According to the agency, the suspect was intercepted on May 20 during the clearance of passengers arriving on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sierra Leone through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. NDLEA operatives placed him under observation, leading to the recovery of 185.36 grams of cocaine.

In a separate operation, NDLEA officers arrested a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The suspect was reportedly attempting to board a flight to Milan, Italy, through Addis Ababa when officers searched his luggage and discovered 10,280 pills of Tramaking, Tramadol, and Tapentadol.

The agency said the drugs were carefully hidden inside a carton wrapped with foil paper and concealed in a suitcase to avoid detection.

NDLEA Intercepts Drug Shipments in Lagos

The anti-drug agency also announced fresh seizures at a courier company in Lagos, where officers intercepted illegal drugs hidden inside household and transport items meant for export to Europe and the United States.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided the Igwe community in Owan East Local Government Area and recovered 489 kilograms of skunk packed in 59 jumbo bags, alongside 9 kilograms of cannabis seeds.

In Kano State, officers arrested a 30-year-old suspect, Isah Sani, along the Zaria-Kano Road with 196,000 pills of Exol-5.

Another operation at the Seme border area in Badagry, Lagos, led to the recovery of 59 kilograms of skunk from a warehouse in Mowo.

Meanwhile, in Ekiti State, operatives raided a warehouse in Ikole-Ekiti and recovered 1,116 kilograms of skunk. A 54-year-old suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius, was arrested in connection with the seizure.