Joy Anyim
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has arrested a businesswoman heading to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for Umrah (Lesser Hajj) for ingesting 80 pellets of cocaine.
It was gathered that the suspect, 46-year-old Mrs Adisa Afusat Olayinka, was caught at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja last Wednesday, November 24.
Preliminary findings have it that Olayinka, who lives in Ibafo, Ogun state hails from Ilorin, in Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State.
According to the Agency, the suspect was arrested at the boarding screening area of the airport during an outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight 1418.
Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson for the NDLEA said the suspect, after the arrest, was taken into custody where she excreted 80 pellets of the illicit drug between Wednesday and Saturday, November 27.
“She claimed during interviews that she saved N2.5million over a period of one year to buy the drugs in bits from six different people at Akala, Mushin area of Lagos. The suspect further said she was trading in clothes but had to borrow N1million from three persons to make up the money used to buy the drugs, adding that she spent another N1million to renew her passport, visa and buy return flight tickets.
“She said she was encouraged to traffic the drugs by a woman she met during her last Umrah trip to Saudi Arabia in 2019. She added that she needed to raise N7million for In Vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment due to pressure from people because she’s been married for 28 years without a child due to fertility challenges.” Babafemi said.
Similarly, another trafficker, Inusa Abdulrazaki was also arrested with 101 wraps of Heroin weighing 1.3 kilograms on Fri. at Gate C -Departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos on his way to Italy via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.
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He said the drugs were concealed inside cassava flour popularly called garri.
Speaking further, the Spokesperson said NDLEA operatives at the airport during a routine cargo search at NAHCO export shed intercepted an abandoned consignment of khat 17.90kg.
In his commendation of the officers and men of the NAIA and MMIA commands for their vigilance and steadfastness, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa urged them to always stay two steps ahead of the drug cartels.