LATEST: NDLEA Arrests General Overseer With Drugs In Lagos

Rev Ugochukwu Emmanuel Ekwem, the General Overseer of Christ Living Hope Church, was arrested for drug trafficking at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

With 54 sticks of narcotics wrapped around his body, the NDLEA apprehended Ekwem on his way to a three-week crusade in Nairobi, Kenya.

NDLEA agents seized Ekwem during the outbound clearing of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft from Addis Ababa to Nairobi.

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The cleric’s church is based at Isuaniocha, Mgbakwu road, Awka, Awka North LGA, Anambra state, with two more branches in Lagos and Abuja.

The NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, claimed in a statement headed, ‘Church General Overseer caught with narcotics at Lagos airport,’ that after the drugs were checked, the 54 sticks were found to be cannabis.

Throughout a preliminary interview, the preacher admitted that he had carried that amount of illicit material on his body to utilize during his three-week crusade in Kenya, according to Babafemi.

“On the same day, another passenger, Nnakeanyi Chukwuka King, came at the airport on an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft from Sao Paulo, Brazil through Addis Ababa, was intercepted during inward passenger screening at the MMIA’s E-Arrival Hall.” During a check of his baggage, the suspect was discovered with forty (40) packets of cocaine hidden within bottles of body cream weighing a total of 9.70kg.

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“Three days later, on March 9th, another passenger on an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft to Italy, Mr. Edo Blessing, was apprehended at the airport’s Departure Hall with 2, 090 Tramadol 225mg and Flunitrazepam pills.
The suspect, a native of Edo state who now resides in Italy, claimed possession of the psychoactive chemicals seized.

“Also on the same day, operatives arrested a freight agent, Rafiu Abbas at the NAHCO Export Shed of the airport when he presented a cargo containing 19.15kg cannabis going to London. The illicit substance was concealed inside plastic containers labelled as “African Dishes” and packed in a bag.

“In a related development, a 63-year-old Vincent Obimma was on Friday 11th March arrested with 350grams of cocaine and 150grams of heroin by NDLEA operatives at a park in the Apapa seaport corridor in Lagos. The drugs were hidden in industrial torch packets heading to Kano, Kano state.

“Meanwhile, a drug dealer in Kaduna state, James Okenwa has been arrested in a follow up operation at Central Market, Kaduna. He admitted the ownership of 1,807 bottles of cough syrup with codeine that were earlier recovered from two suspects at tollgate. At the point of his arrest, another 152 bottles of the drug were recovered from his vehicle. He has accepted ownership of all the 1,959 bottles of the codeine syrup.

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“In Yobe state, two fake security agents: Akalonu Justin and Azimbi Festus who were coming from Onitsha and heading to Maiduguri, Borno state have been arrested with 25 blocks of Cannabis Sativa weighing 12 .5kg and 1, 598 bottles of Codeine Syrup weighing 159.8 Liters, while 85kg of cannabis was also recovered from the warehouse of a notorious drug dealer in Pawari area of Damaturu, the state capital on Thursday 10th March.

“In Anambra state, a total of 38,605 tablets of assorted opioids were recovered from a 29-year-old drug dealer, Awoke Friday at Nkwelle junction, Onitsha on Friday 11th March with the support of men of the Nigeria Police.

“While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Apapa Port, Kaduna, Yobe and Anambra Commands of the Agency for the impressive seizures and arrests in the past week, Chairman/ Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their colleagues across the country to stay focussed and intensify efforts to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs and substances.”

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