Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a drug kingpin wanted for several attempts to ship illicit drug consignments to the United Kingdom through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and other routes.
The arrest of the notorious kingpin, Obiorah Samuel, tops the list of arrests made by operatives of NDLEA through interdiction operations that led to the seizure of four tons of illicit substances in the past week.
Obiorah has been on the wanted list of the agency since September 15, 2023, when a consignment of 1.500kg skunk concealed in flour going to London, UK was intercepted at the SAHCO export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, and his freight agent, Nworah Precious, arrested.
The agency said, “Convinced that the 1.500kg consignment had sailed through, Obiorah walked into the agency’s dragnet on September 28, when he personally brought another tranche of 2.00kg concealed in cartons to the airport for shipment to the UK.
“In his interview, Obiorah claimed he was into shoes sales in Lagos before venturing into the illicit drug business.”
Meanwhile, operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Command of the agency on September 29, intercepted a container truck with number plate BD G41 XM coming from Lagos to Kano at the Gwagwalada area of the FCT.
No fewer than 1,188 kilograms of skunk loaded at Owo, Ondo State and hidden under cartons of tooth paste were recovered from the truck and its driver, Amafan Fattison, 28, arrested.
In the same vein, NDLEA officers in Bayelsa State on September 27, seized 432kgs of the same substance from an abandoned J5 bus along Saipem road, Opolo, Yenagoa.
The vehicle was equally recovered from the scene for further investigation.
In Kano, a septuagenarian grandpa, Ado Unguwa, 70, was arrested on September 30, with 143.2kgs skunk in Dindere village, Tofa LGA.
