A 43-YEAR-OLD makeup artist, Adekoya Mary, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, while allegedly attempting to smuggle 2.2 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden in her luggage.
The NDLEA said she claimed she was travelling to India for fibroid surgery.
The arrest took place on Monday, June 16, following actionable intelligence, the agency said in a statement on Sunday.
According to the statement issued by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Adekoya was placed under discreet surveillance and allowed to check in her luggage before being intercepted at the boarding gate of her Qatar Airways flight heading to India via Doha.
Babafemi added that a search of her suitcase revealed two large parcels of cocaine expertly concealed within its walls.
During interrogation, the suspect admitted that the trip was merely a cover for drug trafficking, revealing that she engaged in the act for financial reward.
“When her luggage was searched, two large parcels of cocaine weighing 2.20kg were found concealed in the walls of the suitcase she was carrying. In her statement, she claimed she embarked on the trip for financial benefits but under the pretext of going to India for surgery to remove a fibroid from her stomach.
“Further investigation revealed the suspect was recruited and funded by a drug baron currently at large, Akeem Ayinde Adekanbi, who owns Rockford Hotel located in Sango area of Ogun State, while he lives at Igbe Laara in Igbogbo area of Ikorodu, Lagos state”, the statement added.
Similarly, at a courier company in Lagos, operatives of the NDLEA’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation intercepted a consignment of sewn female dresses stuffed with 1.3kg of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, destined for Bahrain on June 19.
Babafemi also disclosed that on the same day, at another courier firm, officers uncovered 850 grammes of cocaine hidden inside cloth hangers in a package bound for Australia.
In Bauchi State, Babafemi said the NDLEA operatives arrested Ibrahim Galadima, 37, and Ibrahim Muhammed, 28, along the Bauchi-Darazo Road on June 16, seizing over one million opioid pills, including tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5.
He added that on June 17, 38-year-old Bishir Isyaku was arrested at Gwargwaje along the Kaduna–Zaria Expressway with 14.2kg of cannabis (skunk) hidden in two sacks of charcoal, along with seven cartons of rubber solution weighing 198kg.
In Abuja, NDLEA operatives arrested Murtala Adamu, Ahmed Ismai’l, and four others during raids on June 18 at Karu Abattoir and Torabora areas of the FCT. Items recovered included 6.9kg of cannabis and 59 grams of methamphetamine.
At the Kano Command, the NDLEA spokesperson noted that officers also arrested several suspects on June 19 along Zaria-Kano Road, including Umar Hamisu, 19, and Dahiru Abdullahi, 32, with 56.2kg of cannabis. Others caught included Obiwuru Henry with 23,720 tramadol capsules and 1,400 ampoules of pentazocine; Abubakar Modu with 36.6kg of cannabis; and Abdulkadir Muhammed with 32kg.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org