News
Another Vietnam-bound businessman excretes 68 wraps of cocaine at Lagos airport +Photos
…. As NDLEA intercepts N2.2billion codeine bottles at Lagos port; smashes 5-member ladies drug trafficking gang, arrests 2 others for online sales of drug laced cookies, cakes in Edo
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
An Onitsha, Anambra state based-businessman, Ibeanusi Solomon Nosike, has excreted 68 wraps of cocaine after 12 days of excretion observation following his arrest at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
The 36-year-old Ibeanusi was arrested in the early hours of Thursday 8th August 2024 at the old domestic terminal of the Lagos airport while attempting to board the first flight out of Lagos to Abuja where he was scheduled to join a Qatar Airways flight to Vietnam at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja at about 10am same day.
The suspect who came under NDLEA surveillance following intelligence had arrived Lagos from his base in Onitsha, Anambra state the previous day, 7th August and lodged in a hotel where he swallowed the 68 wraps of cocaine before heading to the airport for a 6:30am flight the following morning. He was thereafter intercepted by NDLEA operatives who moved him into excretion observation where he spent the next 12 days excreting the cocaine pellets weighing 1.282 kilograms.
Another Vietnam-bound businessman, 54-year-old Paul Okwuy Mbadugha had been arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Abuja airport on Monday 12th August 2024 during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR 1432 to Hanoi, Vietnam via Doha after he tested positive to ingestion of cocaine. After four days under observation, Mbadugha egested a total of 88 wraps of the illicit drug with a gross weight of 1.710 kilograms.
In the same vein, another Onitsha based businessman, Aligbo Chukwudi Jacob has been arrested by NDLEA operatives following the seizure of a consignment of 1.20kg cannabis concealed in a package going to Dubai, UAE. Operatives at the MMIA Strategic Command of the Agency had intercepted the shipment at the export shed of the Lagos airport while investigations revealed the cargo was sent through a courier company in Onitsha. After series of follow up operations, Aligbo was eventually arrested in Onitsha on Saturday 17th August.
Meanwhile, operatives of a Special Operations Unit in NDLEA have arrested five cross-border female drug traffickers at the Seme border while on their way back to Lagos from Ghana. Leader of the syndicate, 42-year-old Olaribigbe Bashirat Feyisara has been under NDLEA radar before being tracked and arrested on Wednesday 21st August along with other members of her gang: Abogun Fatimah Ladidi; Osibeluwo Tolulope Oluwaseun; Akanni Balikis Oluwatoyin and Ajetumobi Amudalat.
At the point of their arrest at the Seme border, a total of 14 packs of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, weighing a total of 6.97kg, were recovered from hidden parts of their bodies.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan seaport in Lagos on Friday 23rd August intercepted two containers which came from Mundra port in India. No fewer than 1,596 cartons of codeine-based syrup containing 319, 200 bottles of the opioid worth Two Billion Two Hundred and Thirty-Four Million Four Hundred Thousand Naira (N2,234,400,000.00) in street value were recovered from the containers during a joint examination with other port stakeholders.
Two ladies were arrested by operatives in Edo state for online sales of illicit drugs.
While Martha Owotorofa, 26, was nabbed at Kada Plaza, Benin city with quantities of Canadian Loud, Odion Uzordinma, 21, was arrested at Ugbowo area of the city with 30 cups of cookies and 17 slices of cake, all laced with illicit substances.
A raid operation at Oghada village, Uhunmwonde local government area of the state on Tuesday 20th August led to the arrest of Saturday Edobor, 50, with 288.8kg cannabis.
In Lagos, a suspect Godwill Davidson was on Wednesday 21st August arrested with 3,834 bottles of codeine syrup; 5,200 pills of Co-Codamol; and 11, 880 tablets of Rohypnol in Mushin area of the state, while another suspect, Yahaya Ibrahim, 23, was nabbed by operatives along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway, Kogi state same day with 42,000 pills of tramadol coming from Asaba, Delta State enroute Potiskum, Yobe state.
Two suspects: Feranmi Bankole, 25, and Fredrick Tobiloba, 25, were on Tuesday 20th August arrested at Pariz Lounge, Adeoyo area in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State following intelligence. Recovered from them were 267.5 litres of skuchies, a mixture of black currant and assorted illicit drugs and 18 grams of Canadian Loud.
In the same vein, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to pupils of Dan Amus Sangaya school, Sabon Layi, Gombi, Adamawa state; workers of transport companies in Garki Enugu, Enugu state; students and staff of Kaduna State School of Nursing, Kaduna, and WADA advocacy visit to the management of Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Ogun state.
While commending the officers and men of the Special Operations Units, MMIA, Tincan, Lagos, and Edo Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
The Christian Association of Nigeria has issued an ultimatum to the governments of Bauchi, Katsina, Kano, and Kebbi states, demanding the reversal of their directives mandating a five-week closure of schools for the Ramadan fast.
CAN described the move as discriminatory and a violation of the rights of non-Muslim students, warning that it would pursue legal action if the orders were not rescinded.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, CAN President, Daniel Okoh, criticized the policy, highlighting its potential to worsen the educational crisis in the affected states, which already account for 44% of Nigeria’s out-of-school children.
“Education is a fundamental right and the bedrock of progress,” Okoh stated.
“The closure of schools across these states, ranging from nursery to tertiary levels, for an extended period disrupts academic schedules and threatens the educational advancement of millions of students.”
He added that the decision lacked transparency and failed to involve broad consultations with stakeholders, including Christian leaders, educators, and parents.
“Policies impacting diverse populations—Muslims, Christians, and others—demand transparent, inclusive dialogue with parents, educators, religious leaders, and school proprietors.
“The absence of such engagement erodes trust and unity in our pluralistic society,” Okoh remarked.
Citing examples from predominantly Islamic nations like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the CAN President argued that Nigeria should adopt pragmatic measures that balance religious observance with education.
“Globally, nations like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—where Islam is central and Ramadan deeply revered—do not shut down schools for the entire fasting period.
“Instead, they adapt schedules, shortening hours or offering flexibility, to balance education with religious practice. A month-long closure, or five weeks in Bauchi’s case, is excessive and departs from sensible precedent,” Okoh said.
CAN emphasised that it remains committed to interfaith harmony but would not tolerate policies that undermine constitutional rights.
The association called on Governors Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Dikko Umar Radda (Katsina), Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano), and Nasir Idris (Kebbi) to engage stakeholders in constructive dialogue to resolve the issue.
“Transparency is essential, and we expect these governments to act in good faith by promptly engaging all parties.
“The education of our children and the unity of our states are at stake. Should these rights face further jeopardy or dialogue fail to deliver justice, CAN is prepared to seek legal recourse,” Okoh warned.
CAN concluded with an appeal for calm among residents of the affected states, urging unity and cooperation to ensure no child’s education is compromised.
“Let us unite as Nigerians to forge a society where faith and progress harmonize, where no child’s education is compromised, and where every community is valued,” the statement read.
News
Candidate From Zamfara With 120 In JAMB May Study Medicine At ABU, My Child With 240 May Not -Luka Binniyat
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Luka Binniyat, the national spokesman for the Middle Belt Forum, has raised concerns about what he sees as unfair admission policies in some universities in the north.
Speaking in an interview with Punch, Luka Binniyat mentioned that his child who is from the Christian North scored 240 in JAMB may not be allowed to study Medicine at Ahmadu Bello University located in Zaria, Kaduna State.
However, he said a student from Zamfara State who scored as low as 120 may be admitted into the university for the same course.
He queried how such a system could promote unity in the north?
In Luka Binniyat’s exact words: “How can my child, who is from the Christian North, score 200 in JAMB or 240 points in JAMB, and he cannot study Medicine at Ahmadu Bello University, but a child from Zamfara State who scored 120 is allowed to study Medicine? How can there be unity?”
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