A 35-year-old Nigerian woman, Chidinma Chinenye Agbazue has been arrested and detained by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over an attempt to export 20 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 10.70 kilograms.
She was arrested on her way to Doha, Qatar through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos State.
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media & Advocacy made this known in a statement issued on Sunday, noting that the parcels were concealed in African salad, popularly called Abacha and dried vegetables.
He said, “NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport working in partnership with men of the Department of State Security (Services) had on Thursday 28th March intercepted Chidinma, an outbound passenger from Lagos to Doha, on Qatar Airways during clearance of passengers at the screening point of terminal 11 of the MMIA.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that Chidinma was based in Qatar but returned to Nigeria last December for Christmas celebration. She said preparatory to her return to Doha, she was lodged at Club Dice Hotel in Ikotun area of Lagos where the consignment was handed over to her for trafficking to the Arab country.”
He said, “Also, in Bayelsa, the bid by three suspects: Ebuka Eze, 31; Ugochukwu Okoro, 44; and Kingsley Uzim, 27, to smuggle opioids including codeine, molly, tramadol and diazepam weighing a total of 73.425 kilograms to the creeks in Southern Ijaw area of the state was thwarted on Wednesday 27th March by NDLEA operatives at Swali jetty, Yenagoa where Ebuka and Ugochukwu were arrested while Uzim was nabbed at Amasoma in a follow-up operation.
“The drugs were concealed in jumbo sacks and conveyed to the jetty in a tricycle.
“While two suspects: Eniola Muyideen and Bankole Shuaib were arrested with 137 blocks of cannabis weighing 71kg during a raid at Orile Imo, Ogun state on Friday 29th March.”