59-Year-Old Man Arrested at Lagos Airport with Cocaine in Stomach
…as NDLEA Intensifies War Against Drug Trafficking
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended Ezeokoli Sylva, a 59-year-old businessman, for smuggling 700 grams of cocaine concealed in his stomach upon his return to Nigeria after 35 years in Brazil.
Sylva was intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Friday, 29th November 2024, after arriving on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from São Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa.
A body scan at the E-Arrival hall revealed foreign objects in his stomach, prompting authorities to place him under excretion observation. Over time, Sylva expelled 29 wraps of cocaine.
During questioning, the suspect, who operates an African store selling provisions, shoes, and clothes in Brazil, confessed to purchasing the drugs in São Paulo. He intended to resell the cocaine in Nigeria to raise funds to expand his business.
In related developments, NDLEA operatives successfully thwarted multiple drug trafficking attempts across the country:
Lagos: On Tuesday, 26th November, NDLEA’s Directorate of Investigation and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted two consignments bound for the United Kingdom through a courier service.
These included 200 grams of cocaine hidden in local fabrics and 40 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 110 grams concealed in cartons.
At Ilesan Beach in Lagos, operatives seized 2,120 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, on Thursday, 28th November.
A suspect, Onibogi Muftau, was apprehended, and four vehicles intended to transport the shipment from the waterfront were confiscated.
Earlier, 472 kilograms of cannabis were intercepted on Monday, 25th November, at Idi-Iroko in Ogun State.
Kano: On Thursday, 28th November, three suspects, Jamilu Adamu (38), Umar Musa (32), and Bunu Ali (27), were arrested at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria Road, with 2,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 3,135,000 tablets of Exol-5, an opioid-based medication.
Edo: An intelligence-led operation in Benin City on Thursday, 28th November, led to the arrest of two suspects, Monday Onyenemue (60) and Evans Omogiede (42).
NDLEA agents confiscated 185.6 kilograms of cannabis and impounded a Toyota Previa bus used for transporting the drugs.
Parallel to its enforcement efforts, the NDLEA intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaigns in schools, marketplaces, and communities nationwide.
Highlights of the past week included sensitisation lectures delivered to: Students and staff of Government Girls Secondary School, Kano; Government Day Secondary School, Njoboli-Fulani, Yola; Girls High School, Mgbowo, Enugu; God’s Time College, Ikole Ekiti, Ekiti State; and Traders at 8 Miles Market, Calabar, Cross River State.
The NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), lauded the exemplary efforts of the agency’s operatives across Lagos, Kano, and Edo States.
He praised their balanced approach to reducing drug supply and demand through proactive enforcement and public awareness initiatives.
The agency reaffirmed its commitment to curbing drug trafficking and abuse, urging citizens to support ongoing efforts to ensure a drug-free Nigeria.
