The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reported the arrest of a Qatar-based businessman, Agu Amobi, and another individual named Uchegbu Obi for drug trafficking at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
In an official statement by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, December 31, it was disclosed that Amobi was apprehended at the departure point of terminal 2 on his way to Doha, Qatar. The arrest took place on Saturday, December 39, as Amobi attempted to board a Qatar Airways flight. Simultaneously, Obi was taken into custody after NDLEA seized a consignment of 72,000 pills of tramadol 225mg, intended for shipment to Kano on a local flight.
Amobi, who claimed to have resided and worked in Doha for over 10 years, was found with 1.30kg of cannabis sativa concealed in a bag of foodstuff. He asserted that he purchased the substance in Enugu with the intention of delivering it to Doha to raise funds for his rent in both Doha and Nigeria, as well as his children’s school fees.
NDLEA operatives at the domestic wing of the airport intercepted a carton containing a total of 72,000 pills of tramadol 250mg, weighing 38.50kg. Uchegbu Onyebuchi Obi, the individual responsible for shipping the consignment to Kano, was subsequently arrested.
In other operations, NDLEA officers in Yobe State intercepted Musa Sani, Mohammed Ibrahim, and Adamu Usman, who were transporting 39 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 15.7kg and 128,500 pills of opioids. Further investigations led to the arrest of the cannabis consignment’s owner, Ali Ibrahim (a.k.a Ramos), who had an additional 208 blocks of the substance at his residence. In Imo State, a patrol along Owerri – Onitsha expressway led to the interception of a commercial bus carrying 400 bottles of codeine syrup and 7,590 pills of opioids, including tramadol 225mg, headed for Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
Other arrests involved individuals transporting cannabis and opioids in various states, emphasizing NDLEA’s continuous efforts to combat drug trafficking across the country.
