How notorious drug gangs are infiltrating airports, wooing travellers
BY CHIBUZO DURU
A deadly drug cartel has taken over major airports in Nigeria with their clandestine activities, putting innocent Nigerian travellers in trouble while smiling to the banks, with proceeds of bribes from drug barons for agreeing to insert drugs in travelers’ luggage.
The group working as airport workers comprising some Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO), and other agents working at the airports are alleged to be in the illicit trade of ferrying drugs outside the shores of Nigeria and clearing of imported drugs into the country.
Majority of the alleged workers are said to be on the payroll of drug barons and work clandestinely in moving and receiving drugs into the country unnoticed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
According to investigations, their strategy starts by convincing an unsuspecting traveler to help them deliver a luggage to someone in another destination. The traveler’s travel papers will then be sent to the receiver who would be waiting at the airport to receive the traveler.
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It was gathered that on arrival, another person will take care of the traveller and in the process clear him and his or her luggage laden with narcotics.
Most times, the drugs are inserted into the luggage of the travellers without their knowledge.
In another development, the NDLEA on January 25, began the trial of SAHCO’s Manager and others charged for drug trafficking,
The trial of an Assistant General Manager of Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO),
Olajide Ahmed Kafidipe, and seven other officials of the company charged before a Lagos Federal High Court for alleged drug trafficking.
The trial commenced with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) , calling its first witness.
The NDLEA witness testified against Olajide and others. The witness one Mr. Moses Dogo, an Exhibit keeper with the agency, narrated the roles he played after the defendants were arrested.
It would be recall that the SAHCO’S Assistant General Manager, Olajide and others which include: Sanyaolu Rasheed Oladele; Musa Mutalib Opeyemi; Sanamo Alla Daniel; Anuge Evans Isibor; Mahmud Agboola Musa; Udeh Felix and Obinna Henry, were arrested with the 1,440.90 kilograms of Tramadol 225mg, a prohibited substance, by the NDLEA operatives on October 25, 2023,
According to him, they were subsequently arraigned before the court presided over by Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu on January 16, on offences bordering on conspiracy, unlawful possession and transportation of the prohibited substance.
The prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, told had the court that the defendants conspired with the trio of Mubarak, Sarki Salami, Abdullahi Aliyu a.k.a Aboki and Anwal Monday, who are also staff of the company but now at large.
The offences the prosecutor told the court contravene sections 14 (b), 21 (2)(d) and 20 (1)(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. And punishable under sections 11 (b) and 20 (2)(b) of the same Act.
The offences Olajide and others denied and pleaded “not guilty” to the charges
At the resumed trial of the defendants on Thursday, Moses, who is the first prosecution witness, while being led by the prosecutor, Mr. Abu Ibrahim, told the court how he received the prohibited drug from the arresting officers for proper and safe keeping.
Dogo also tendered parts of the seized drug as exhibit, which was admitted by the court.
Meanwhile, further hearing of the charges against the defendants has been adjourned till May 5.
The court also fixed the date for locus inquo (visiting of site) where the bulk of the drug is currently kept.
The SAHCO’s Assistant General Manager Olajide and others were arraigned before the court on January 16, by the NDLEA on alleged charges of conspiracy, unlawful possession and transportation of 1,440.90 kilograms of Tramadol 225mg, a prohibited substance,
During their arraignment, the prosecutor Mr. Abu Ibrahim, informed the court how Olajide and other staff of the company, conspired among themselves to transport the prohibited drug out of SAHCO Import Shed.
He also told the court that the SAHCO’s Assistant General Manager, Olajide, conspired with Sanyaolu Rasheed Oladele, and engaged one Lawal Itunu Temitope, to transport the prohibited substance from SAHCO Import Shed in a Mercedes Benz Bus with Registration Number LAGOS MUS 269 YC, owned by Platinum Pacific International Limited.
Recently, NDLEA captured a drug baron who caused fracas at the airport in viral video, when NDLEA intercepted parcels of cocaine
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said it’s operatives of different special units captured a man in a viral video who caused fracas at the MMIA, Ikeja Lagos.
The suspect, one Okosun Paul Punitt, a consignee of a consignment of tramadol concealed in a bottle of dietary supplements, was arrested after his ‘wares’ were intercepted by the operatives.
He was said to be a staff of Pathfinder International Ltd, Ajuzieogu Mac-Elvis Ugochukwu.
According to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson in a statement on Sunday, January 22, 2024, the suspect attempted sending his ‘goods’ through an intending passenger on Ibom Air to Accra, Ghana at the Lagos airport on Tuesday 16 January.
He said the suspect caused fracas between the passenger and Ajuzieogu, when he went viral in a video after the vigilant passenger suspected the consignment to contain illicit substances.
According to Babafemi, both Ajuzieogu and the exhibit were later transferred to NDLEA on Thursday 18th January by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN for investigation.
He explained that preliminary findings by NDLEA showed that the parcel contained 50 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in a bottle of dietary supplements.
He disclosed that a follow up operation by the Agency led to the arrest of Okosun upon his return from Ghana on Friday.
“He has in his statement confirmed ownership of the drug.” Babafemi said.
The rate at which drug trafficking is on the rise is worrisome. On daily basis, drug traffickers are being arrested at the airports as the agency continues to clamp down on them.
According to the NDLEA, the agency intercepted an importer of an alleged consignment of cocaine and colorado, said to be a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in containerized household items and vehicles imported from Durban, South Africa and Canada at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos.
The spokesperson for the agency stressed that the interception of the drugs came following coordinated intelligence and months of tracking of the containers by three special units of NDLEA.
He said the illicit drugs came in along with arms, ammunition and sundry military effects, which were seized, during joint examination of the three containers by the Agency’s officers and their counterparts from Customs Service and other security agencies.
The seizure was done between Thursday 18th and Friday 19th January 2024, adding that some of the Agency’s sniffer dogs were also deployed to help identify locations and bags used in concealing the illicit items.
Babafemi disclosed that some of the items recovered from the containers “include: 1, 274 parcels of Cocaine and Colorado with a total weight of 884.09 kilograms; four pistols; 197 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 49 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 275 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, 14 rounds of 9mm ammunition and sundry military personnel effects as well as some chemicals in kegs.”
As that wasn’t enough, in less than three days, NDLEA intercepted large consignment of Canadian Loud in Lagos, UK, Italy-bound opioids and seized 300,000 tramadol pills from Pakistan; and busts skuchies factory in Ibadan
The consignment of Canadian Loud, an imported strong synthetic strain of cannabis, packaged in 324 bags with a gross weight of 111.2 kilograms, was intercepted in Onikan area of Lagos Island while being conveyed for distribution in an unregistered Grand Caravan vehicle by a 42-year-old suspect, Taofeek Yusuf.
The arrest of Taofeek and seizure of the imported consignment late in the night on Friday 12th January 2024 following credible intelligence came on the heels of the arrest of another drug trafficking suspect, Godwin ThankGod the previous day Thursday 11th January by NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos.
The Milan, Italy-bound Godwin was also intercepted, while attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc flight with quantities of codeine-based syrup and rohypnol concealed in his luggage.
The suspect who is a regular flyer was arrested during a search of his luggage at the Departure Gate of Terminal 2 of the airport.
The search to the discovery of five cartons consisting 50 bottles of codeine syrup and 300 tablets of rohypnol.
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives at the SAHCO import shed of the import on Friday 12th January recovered 30,000 packs of tramadol 225mg consisting 300,000 pills.
The consignment, which came from Karachi, Pakistan on KLM Royal Dutch Airline, with airway bill number 074-62674964, was taken into custody following a joint examination with other security agencies at the airport.
Meanwhile, various quantities of tramadol and cannabis sativa concealed in soles of sports canvas shoes going to Oman as well as another consignment of tramadol and rohypnol hidden in spices heading to the United Kingdom were intercepted at two courier firms in Lagos by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation, DOGI, on Tuesday 9th January.
Operatives in Oyo state on Thursday 11th January raided a clandestine skuchies factory operated by Oyadeji Dimeji, 28, in Moniya area of Ibadan where 76.6kg of cannabis sativa, 134 grams of tramadol, 93 grams of rophynol and 50 litres of already produced skuchies, a liquid mixture containing various types of psychoactive substances, were recovered.
In Ondo state, four suspects: David Iyoragie, 34; Adams Idowu, 28; Ibrahim Audu Abdullahi,54; and Ayomide Henry Ayuba, 20, were arrested at De – Rock View Hotel, Gadson Junction off Ado- Ekiti Road, Igoba, Akure North LGA on Friday 12th January with 524.5kg cannabis. Another suspect, Aniekeme Eyibio, 26, was also nabbed at Ala forest, Akure North LGA where 293.5kg of the same psychoactive substance and a Dane gun were recovered from him.
While 67-year-old Franklin Eze was arrested at Otuo, Owan East LGA, Edo state on Thursday 11th January with 454 blocks of cannabis weighing 311kg loaded in his Lexus salon car marked EBM 812 AA, Abdullahi Shuaibu, 43, was nabbed by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 9th January at Ayangba, Dekina LGA Kogi state with 43 blocks of compressed cannabis, weighing 22kg and three pinches of methamphetamine.
In Katsina state, a suspect, Danladi Adamu aged 24 was nabbed on Wednesday 10th Jan. with 25.5kg cannabis sativa during a buy and bust operation at Kurmi Primary School in Malumfashi metropolis, while operatives in Gombe arrested Sulaiman Mohammed at Lapandimtai, Kaltungo, with 47 blocks of same substance weighing 30kg concealed in two sacks of groundnut.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), has urged the personnel of the agency, to maintain the offensive action, tempo, and strive to surpass previous records while maintaining a balance with their drug demand reduction efforts.
