Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled a major drug trafficking syndicate after a three-week intelligence-led operation uncovered cocaine concealed in tins of palm kernel extract destined for the United Kingdom.
The operation began on March 11 when officers of the NDLEA at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, intercepted 3.10 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside tins of palm kernel extract at the export shed. Two suspects linked to the shipment, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin, were arrested immediately.
A follow-up sting operation on April 2 led to the arrest of the alleged sender of the consignment, Ezemuwo Joel, who reportedly operated under the false identity of “Ajayi.” Investigations from his arrest led operatives to the suspected kingpin, 52-year-old King Arinze, who was apprehended at a hideout in Isolo, Lagos.
NDLEA operatives subsequently raided Arinze’s warehouse located at 11 Ola Ifa Street, Bucknor, Isolo, where they recovered 886 tins of palm kernel extract prepared for drug concealment, sealing machines, tin openers, paint sprays, a quantity of cannabis, and hand gloves. The suspect reportedly confessed to draining the oil from the tins in order to conceal cocaine before resealing them for export.
In a separate operation in Borno State, NDLEA officers arrested 28-year-old Aisha Adamu, alleged to be a female supplier of drugs to bandit groups operating between the North-East and Chad. She was intercepted along the Gamboru-Ngala road with 4.3 kilograms of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
Also in Lagos, the pastor in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Agonvi Sea Beach, Sakpo area of Seme border, Pastor Afolabi Hodonu, and his wife, Success Hodonu, were arrested at the Gbaji checkpoint on April 2. NDLEA said 11 kilograms of skunk were recovered from hidden compartments in their Honda Pilot SUV.
The arrest of the couple followed the earlier apprehension of a suspected fake security agent, Sunday Samuel, who was intercepted at the same checkpoint on March 30 while transporting 24.5 kilograms of skunk from the Seme border to Lagos.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA officers intercepted a trailer transporting 48,000 pills of tramadol along Namtari Road in Yola South. The driver, Abdulaziz Ismail Korede, was arrested, while a subsequent operation led to the arrest of the intended recipient, Idris Adamu.
Further operations across the country led to the arrest of a 60-year-old woman, Idiatu Oladejo, with 15 kilograms of skunk in Osogbo, Osun State, while 351 kilograms of skunk and seeds were recovered during a raid on Itaogbolu forest in Ondo State. In Benue State, NDLEA seized 28,600 capsules of tramadol from 66-year-old Aminu Usman Gembu.
In Edo State, operatives raided a warehouse in Egbanke community, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, recovering 1,378 kilograms of skunk and arresting 37-year-old Roland Owie.
Meanwhile, in Oyo State, suspected drug dealer Ayantola Omodunmomi, popularly known as “Iya Elle,” was arrested in Ibadan after intelligence reports alleged that she used her 11-year-old daughter to deliver drugs to customers. NDLEA said 45.6 kilograms of skunk were recovered from her warehouse.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations, saying the arrests demonstrated the agency’s growing intelligence capabilities and determination to cut off drug supply networks.
“These successful operations are a testament to the Agency’s evolving intelligence capabilities and our unwavering commitment to choking the supply lines of drug cartels.
Whether they hide behind legitimate businesses, religious titles, or complex concealment methods, we will find them,” Marwa said.