Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a suspected drug dealer, Okoli Collins Ikenna, who is believed to be responsible for the recent multiple attempts to export illicit drugs to London, the United Kingdom through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos and other courier companies.
The agency said Okoli has been on court bail following his arrest in November 2020 and subsequent arraignment before a Federal High Court in Lagos for attempting to export 15.7 kg of methamphetamine to Australia.
A statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA director of media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said series of investigations into recent multiple attempts to export illicit drugs to the UK led to the arrest of the drug dealer on Tuesday, November 2 when he was caught with 78 parcels of cannabis concealed in black soap packs labelled as Dudu Osun, with a total weight of 12.25 kg heading to the United Kingdom.
“Further investigation also revealed that Okoli is the one behind the attempt to export 7.350kgs of Cannabis to the UK on Thursday, October 21, a consignment that was intercepted at NAHCO export shed of the MMIA.
“Curiously, a separate investigation by operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation of the agency, attached to courier companies have equally traced to Okoli two other attempts to export 47.7kgs of cannabis to the UK through courier firms after his agents arrested in the course of investigation named him as the owner of the consignments,” Babafemi said.
Meanwhile, desperate bids by traffickers to export over 2 kg of cocaine, Methamphetamine and Cannabis hidden inside containers of body cream, tea bags, vehicle oil and air filters to London, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirate and New Zealand through two major courier firms in Lagos have been foiled by narcotic officers.
In Kano, a controlled delivery of an illicit consignment on Friday, November 5 led to the arrest of two suspects; Ibrahim Sulaiman and Muhammad Sani Alhassan with 23kgs of Diazepam tablets, 2kgs of Codeine syrup and 32kgs of Exol five tablets bringing the total weight to 57kgs.
Earlier on Wednesday, November 3, operatives of the Kano command of the agency had arrested one Mizambilu Tijjani, with 64kgs of Cannabis sativa and Victor Nsodikwa Chu-chu, with 34 cartons of Pentazocine injection and one carton of Diazepam injection in the Sabongari area of the city.
Also in Kogi state, NDLEA operatives seized a consignment containing 28.251kg of Exol- 5, 6.6kg of Barcadin codeine syrup, over 38.532kg of tramadol, bringing the total drugs seized to 73.808kg.
The operatives of the Osun state command of the NDLEA seized 130.518kg of cannabis and 18g of cocaine in the Modakeke area of Ile-Ife.
Impressed by the outcome of investigations that led to the dismantling of the drug syndicate led by Okoli in Lagos, the NDLEA chief executive, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers and men of the MMIA command, and their counterparts in Kano, Kogi and Osun for sustaining the heat on the cartels across the country.
He urged them and their compatriots in other commands to intensify the offensive action against all merchants of death in Nigeria.
