The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully intercepted a 26-year-old nursing student, Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinma, in an attempt to smuggle 76 wraps of cocaine to India.
Uzodinma, a second-year nursing student at Noida International University, Uttar Pradesh, India, was apprehended at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, just hours before her scheduled flight.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi detailed the operation: “Esther was scheduled to return to Delhi, India, from MAKIA Kano on Qatar Airways flight 1432 on Friday, January 17, 2025. However, she was arrested in her room at 11:30 pm on Thursday, January 16, at Royal Park Hotel, Sabon Gari, Kano, while awaiting the cocaine consignment she was to ingest before her flight the following morning.”
The arrest was linked to the earlier interception of 31-year-old Cosmas Okorie along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State. Okorie was found transporting an audio speaker containing 76 pellets of cocaine, weighing 1.34 kilograms, intended for Uzodinma in Kano.
“A swift follow-up operation in Kano led to the arrest of the female nursing student later that same day,” Babafemi revealed.
According to Babafemi, Uzodinma confessed that a drug cartel in India sponsored her trip to Nigeria for the Christmas and New Year holidays. To avoid detection, she refrained from visiting her home state of Imo and instead stayed in hotels across Enugu, Abuja, and Kano. The cartel promised her $5,000 for successfully delivering the drugs to India.
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In a separate operation along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja highway, NDLEA operatives arrested four suspects in commuter vehicles, seizing over 38,000 tramadol pills concealed in audio speakers and clothing.
In Lagos, significant drug recoveries included:
– Ojodu-Berger: 10 parcels of Canadian Loud recovered from a hideout.
– Igando New Town: 1,610 kilograms of cannabis seized from a residence.
– Lekki: Two suspects arrested with 28 kilograms of Canadian Loud.
– Lagos Island: Saheed Sulaiman apprehended with 67 kilograms of skunk.
Additional arrests were made in Abuja and Kano, where suspects were caught with quantities of codeine, tramadol, and other psychoactive substances.
The NDLEA has continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiatives, including sensitisation programs at schools, religious centres, and communities nationwide. Recent activities include lectures at NUD Basic Primary School in Oyo, Corpus Christi College in Ekiti, and a meeting with Abia State Governor Alex Otti to strengthen collaboration against drug abuse.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the agency’s officers for their commitment, saying, “The success of these operations reflects the NDLEA’s relentless efforts in combating drug trafficking and abuse. I urge all officers to sustain this momentum as we protect our communities from the scourge of illicit drugs.”
The NDLEA’s operations highlight its unwavering dedication to tackling drug trafficking networks and ensuring the safety of Nigerians.
