Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have successfully apprehended two drug kingpins, Eyah Celestine Nnamdi, also known as Murphy, and Ugwuoke Peter Oluchukwu. The arrests were made following the interception of their methamphetamine consignment at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos. The NDLEA commends its officers for their vigilance and professionalism in executing their duties.
Femi Babafemi, Director Media and Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters detailed this in a statement issued to journalists
Ugwuoke was the first to be arrested on June 9th at the departure point of Terminal 2 in MMIA during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways passengers. Upon inspection, NDLEA officers discovered that he was traveling to Doha with a forged Ivorian international passport under the name Hien Narcisse. Further scrutiny of his carry-on luggage unveiled a hidden compartment containing two parcels of crystalline substance weighing 1.00kg, which tested positive for methamphetamine.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Ugwuoke, a Nigerian citizen, had obtained an Ivorian passport for his travels. He confessed to traveling to Qatar in August 2022 and recently returning to Nigeria to finalize arrangements for the drug consignment. The investigation led to the discovery of his partner, Murphy, residing in Eziani, Nsukka LGA, Enugu State. Murphy, whose true identity is Eyah Celestine Nnamdi, had previously lived in Indonesia before relocating to Doha, Qatar.
In a separate operation, a female pharmacist named Ikwebe Ori Hellen was arrested in Kaduna for attempting to purchase and distribute six cartons of pentazocine injection using forged documents. She admitted to using fake documents from a Kaduna hospital to order the drugs, intending to distribute them in Kaduna, Abuja, and Sokoto. The consignment was intercepted at the local wing of MMIA in Ikeja, where it was being sent to Kaduna by a freight agent.
Furthermore, in Niger State, NDLEA operatives conducted two raids, resulting in the seizure of a total of 1,072 kilograms of cannabis. On June 15th, 726kg of the illicit substance was recovered at Oyoyo filling station along the Kaduna-Abuja express road, leading to the arrest of four suspects. The following day, on June 16th, operatives intercepted a Mercedes 1422 truck on its way from Umunede, Delta State, to Garki market in Abuja. The truck was found to be carrying gallons of palm oil as a cover for 346kg of cannabis. The truck driver, along with his assistants and the owner of the illicit consignment, were apprehended.
Additionally, a significant effort was made to destroy cannabis farms in Delta, Edo, and Ondo states. On June 12th, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, destroyed 18 hectares of cannabis farms in Umuchime village, Ogume, Ndokwa West LGA, Delta State. Four suspects were arrested at the scene. In Edo State, on June 14th, operatives raided Awakpa forest in Owan West LGA, resulting in the arrest of five individuals and the destruction of cannabis farms spanning 2.5 hectares. Another farm measuring 1.294870 hectares was also destroyed. Similarly, on June 17th, the house of a dealer named Godwin Ejiro was raided in Uyiwnendi community, Ikpoba Oka LGA, where various illicit drugs, including cocaine, heroin, meth, swinol, and cannabis, were recovered. In Ondo State, John Emmanuel was arrested with 81kg of cannabis on June 15th, and another suspect named Gideon Akoh was apprehended.
