In what seems like a season of “catch them if you can,” the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been on a roll, busting drug traffickers across the country. The latest star of the show? A 42-year-old Angolan businessman, Mbala Abuba, who tried to smuggle cocaine to Istanbul, Turkey—but unfortunately for him, the NDLEA had other plans.
Abuba, a native of Zaire Province in Angola, was intercepted at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, while attempting to board an Egypt Air flight to Istanbul via Cairo. A quick body scan exposed his little secret, and, well, nature did the rest. Over the next few hours, he excreted 120 pellets of cocaine, weighing 1.829kg, in seven rounds. That’s a performance no one wants to repeat.
In Lagos, an auto spare parts dealer, Okeke Igwe, thought he could outsmart the authorities by hiding 1.10kg of cocaine inside vehicle propellers. The NDLEA was not impressed. Acting on credible intelligence, they arrested him at Murtala Muhammed International Airport before his “auto part export” could leave for Angola. During questioning, Igwe reportedly insisted he was just a businessman at ASPANDA, Trade Fair Complex. The NDLEA, however, believes his business model needed some serious rebranding.
Meanwhile, Ezechi Cyprian tried to play it cool by transporting 5.40kg of cocaine in a Toyota Sienna on his way to Owerri, Imo State. Unfortunately for him, NDLEA operatives had been keeping an eye on him for weeks, and his road trip was cut short.
At Tincan Seaport, smugglers took creativity to another level, stuffing 128 parcels of Canadian Loud (a very potent strain of cannabis) inside two mattresses in a Toyota Venza imported from Canada. Apparently, someone thought “sleeping on” drugs was a good idea. The joint team of NDLEA, customs, and security agencies quickly uncovered the 63.75kg consignment during an inspection, and the consignee, 44-year-old Bamidele Joseph, was promptly taken into custody.
Delta State was not left out of the action. NDLEA operatives, supported by the military, raided a 20-hectare cannabis farm in Ndokwa West LGA, wiping out over 50,000kg of illicit crops and arresting five farmers who probably thought they had a lifetime supply of customers. In another operation, a Mercedes Benz truck packed with 101 bags of skunk (totaling 1,111kg) was intercepted along the Abraka-Orogun Road.
Edo State also had its fair share of drama. NDLEA and military operatives stormed the Okpuje community in Owan West LGA, seizing 1,409.5kg of skunk and destroying warehouses filled with over 100 jumbo bags of the substance. Two suspects, Oikelomen Osere Monday and Glory Iroyo, were arrested, perhaps still wondering how their stash disappeared overnight.
From Ibadan to Ilorin, Zamfara to Maiduguri, NDLEA operatives continued their crackdown, arresting suspects with everything from skunk concealed in detergent cartons to thousands of tramadol pills hidden in the most unexpected places. Even a Beninese national, Lawali Mohammed, found himself in hot soup after being caught with 2,980 tablets of tramadol along the Eiyenkorin Expressway in Ilorin.
With all these busts, one thing is clear: the NDLEA is not playing games, and neither should anyone thinking of smuggling drugs. If this week is anything to go by, traffickers should start considering a career change—because their “business” is running out of luck fast.
