By Sunday Oyinloye
Barely 48 hours after the Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) gave a marching order to officers and men of the Agency to go after drug cartels, operatives of NDLEA yesterday recovered 35 wraps of cocaine from the underwear of a lady, Okafor Ebere Edith during the outward clearance of passengers on Air Cotevoire, to Monrovia, Liberia from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Marwa at a ceremony to decorate newly promoted Deputy Commanders General of Narcotics, DCGNs and Assistant Commanders General of Narcotics, ACGNs on Thursday had ordered the officers and men of NDLEA to go all out and crush drug cartels.
Edith who tucked the pellets of cocaine in her underwear to beat security checks at the Airport was however picked up for search and questioning during which the wraps of the illicit drug were found on her.
During preliminary interview, she claimed her desire to make money pushed her into drug trafficking.
Few days earlier, an intending male passenger going to Istanbul, Turkey, Echendu Jerry Maduakolam, was arrested at the same airport during outward clearance of Egypt airline to Turkey with 78grams of cannabis mixed with dried bitter leaves.
On the same day, another intending male passenger, Egbon Osarodion going to Milan, Italy was arrested at the airport’s Gate A departure hall during outward clearance of passengers on Egypt airline with different quantities of 225mg Tramadol and Rohypnol concealed in foil papers wrapped in a polyethylene bag.
In another development, acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives from Kontagora Area command of the Agency in the early hours of Thursday raided a warehouse at Mailefe village in Kontagora Local Government Area of Niger state, where drug supplies for bandits operating in parts of the state were stored.
After thorough searches of the warehouse, 125 bags of cannabis sativa were recovered while a man seen praying in front of the house fled into the forest when he sighted the narcotic officers from afar.
Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy of NDLEA quoted the Chairman/ Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) as commending the commanders, officers and men of the MMIA and Niger state Commands of the Agency for their continued efforts in tracking down traffickers of illicit drugs in their areas of responsibility.
Marwa charged them and their counterparts in other commands to remain focused and resolute in pursuit of the goal to rid Nigeria of illicit substances and drug related criminalities.
