NDLEA Busts Turkey-Bound Businessman with 120 Wraps of Cocaine!
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) just pulled off another major drug bust, and this one is wild! A 42-year-old Angolan businessman, Mbala Dajou Abuba, got caught at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) with a belly full of cocaine, literally!
Abuba, who hails from Zaire province in Angola, was all set to jet off to Istanbul, Turkey, via Cairo on an Egypt Air flight. But his high-flying plans came crashing down when NDLEA officers flagged him at the screening point. A body scan exposed his risky side hustle; he had ingested a massive stash of cocaine.
Now, here’s the crazy part: Under observation, he excreted a whopping 120 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.829 kilograms over seven rounds. That’s some serious commitment to crime! In his statement, he claimed he used to run a delivery service in Angola before switching to the more “profitable” but illegal drug trade.
Smugglers, Smugglers Everywhere!
Abuba wasn’t the only one with big plans that week. NDLEA operatives were on fire, shutting down several other trafficking attempts:
- Auto Parts Dealer Turned Drug Courier: Okeke Ebuka Igwe, an auto spare parts dealer from Lagos, tried to sneak 1.10kg of cocaine inside vehicle propellers. He planned to ship it to Angola, but NDLEA officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, had other ideas!
- Cocaine on Wheels: Ezechi Iyke Cyprian thought he could drive his way past the law. He was heading to Owerri, Imo State, with 5.40kg of cocaine in his Toyota Sienna when special ops officers nabbed him after weeks of surveillance.
- Seaport Surprise: At Tincan Seaport in Lagos, officers found 128 parcels of Canadian Loud (a potent strain of cannabis) hidden inside mattresses in a Toyota Venza imported from Canada. The total weight? 63.75kg! The consignee, Bamidele Joseph, is now in custody.
Big Hauls, Bigger Trouble!
NDLEA isn’t playing around! In Delta State, a military-backed raid in Ndokwa West LGA led to the destruction of over 50,000kg of cannabis on a massive 20-hectare farmland. Five suspects were arrested.
Meanwhile, a search of a Mercedes-Benz truck along Abraka-Orogun Road recovered 1,111kg of skunk—that’s a whole lot of illegal goods in one haul! In Edo State, operatives stormed the Okpuje community, taking down 1,409.5kg of skunk and seizing over 100 jumbo bags from warehouses.
Drugs on the Move, but NDLEA is Faster!
Other drug busts across the country included:
- 58.5kg of skunk was seized from Michael Omoloki on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
- 2,980 tramadol tablets were intercepted from Lawali Mohammed in Kwara State.
- 1.05kg of skunk found hidden inside detergent soap and biscuit cartons in Osun.
- 24,700 tramadol pills were confiscated from Ayuba Mustapha in Zamfara.
- 31kg of skunk and 1,000 tramadol pills were recovered from Mustapha Shettima in Borno.
- 140 blocks of cannabis (73.5kg) were seized from Adamu Idris in Kano.
More Than Just Arrests – WADA is Making Moves!
NDLEA isn’t just focused on arrests; they’re big on education, too! Their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) program is making waves in schools, workplaces, and communities. Last week, awareness sessions were held at schools like Ansarudeen Junior Secondary School in Lagos, Loretto Girls Special Science School in Anambra, and Tudun Murtala Special Primary School in Kano.
NDLEA Chief Gives Kudos
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), NDLEA’s boss, gave a major shoutout to his officers for these back-to-back wins. He praised the teams at MMIA, MAKIA, Tincan, Delta, Edo, Oyo, Kano, Osun, Borno, Zamfara, and Kwara for their relentless fight against drug trafficking.
