Widow Faking Pregnancy To Traffic Cocaine Arrested By NDLEA In Lagos

By Bukar BOLORI

A 50-year-old widow and fashion designer, Mrs. Ifeoma Ezewuike has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over attempt to traffic 1.3 kilogrammes of cocaine, using fake pregnancy as a façade to escape scrutiny and detection.

A press statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi said the widow who is a mother of one and proprietress of Golden Star Creation, a fashion outfit in Ago palace way, Okota, Lagos, was arrested at a bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba area of the state last Friday while attempting to move the cocaine consignment to customers in Abuja.

Babafemi said a follow up operation at her house in Ago palace area led to the recovery of 200 grammes of cutting agent used in the production of a strain of cocaine.

He noted that in her statement, Ezewuike claimed she inherited the criminal trade from her husband who died two years ago, while she has been in the fashion business for 20 years.

Babafemi also said not less than 90 parcels of Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 48.6 kilogrammes, imported from the United States of America and concealed in three cartons of kitchen sink were intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on Tuesday 19th August by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI).

According to him, in Adamawa, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence last Friday raided the home of alleged drug dealer Idris Garba who scaled the fence to escape arrest while one of his associates Boniface Nnaji, 55, who attempted same was caught in the act at Rumde Baru area of Yola South.

He said recovered from the premises include a black Toyota Thundra jeep marked FST- 885-CZ driven to Yola by Nnaji to supply Garba 354,480 pills of tramadol 225mg, 250mg and others as well as a Toyota Yaris car with registration number DSA 776 AA.

Babafemi also said a total of 5,000 capsules of tramadol, 400 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 200 ampoules of diazepam injection were seized from a suspect Neche Okonkwo at the Idah waterside after crossing the River Niger from Onitsha, Anambra state to Lokoja, Kogi state with the opioids last Wednesday.

In Kano, the duo of Buhari Ibrahim, 25, and Mansur Musa, 24, were nabbed at Zangon Dakata Ungogo, with 5,850 capsules of pregabaline last Tuesday, while a total of 452,070 pills of opioids were recovered from the home of a suspect Rabilu Mukhtar who is at large, at Rangaza, Ungogo local government area just as Buhari Idris, 35, was arrested at Tashan Rami area of the state with 140 litres of codeine syrup, both on same Tuesday.

No fewer than 7,000 capsules of tramadol were seized from Adamu Yusuf, 29, along Zaria-Kano road, Kwanar Dangora area of the state on Saturday.

A total of 2,289.49 kilogrammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis were intercepted in three interdiction operations by NDLEA operatives in Kwara state. While 1,232.86 kilogrammes was recovered from a Mitsubishi Canter truck marked ZUR 66 XT last Wednesday at Ajase-Ipo area of the state with a suspect, Kabiru Abdullahi arrested, another consignment of same psychoactive substance weighing 328.42 kilogrammes was seized from Paul Olaniran, 47, in a Mercedes Benz truck marked LSD 659 YE same day, same location.

The following day Thursday, NDLEA operatives intercepted another consignment of skunk weighing 728.21 kilogrammes in a Mitsubishi Canter truck with registration number GAD 287 XA, at Ajase-Ipo junction, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara state where two suspects: Abubakar Zaki, 44; and Yau Babangida, 45, were arrested.

Similarly, two suspects: Awe Sunday, 50; and Ayodele Adedayo, 54, were nabbed at Alafia Quarters, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti state in connection with the seizure of 96 kilogrammes of skunk.

In Taraba, NDLEA operatives in conjunction with Civil Defence Corps personnel last Wednesday destroyed 7,500 kilogrammes skunk on three hectares of farmland at Dadin Kowa village, Bali local government area, while 901 kilogrammes of same substance was recovered from a warehouse at Uzebba in Owan West local government area, Edo State where a 54-year-old female suspect Fodo Sunday was arrested last Tuesday.

In other operations in Edo state, a total of 14,233.37 kilogrammes of skunk were destroyed on four plantations that measured 5.69375 hectares at Ebule forest, Owan West Local Government Area last Wednesday.

In Delta state, NDLEA operatives supported by the military destroyed a total of 25,500 kilogrammes skunk on four plantations measuring 10.2 hectares in Emu-Obiogu community, Ndokwa West local government area last Thursday, while in Ondo state, 25,025 kilogrammes of same psychoactive substance was destroyed on three farms with a combined measurement of 10.01 hectares at Asolo camp, Uso area of the state.

Two dispatch riders were on Thursday 21st August arrested by NDLEA officers in a stop and search operation in Jabi area of Abuja for distributing illicit substances in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). While Garba Sule, 29, was caught with 300 milligrammes of pentazocine injection, Isaac Augustine, 35, was nabbed with 8.64 grammes of skunk packaged for delivery.

Babafemi said in the same vein, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), while commending the officers and men of DOGI, Lagos, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Taraba, Delta, Adamawa, FCT, Ondo, Ekiti and Edo commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity, enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the agency.