By Kola Adeyemi
Abuja – Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) have arrested Reverend Ugochukwu Emmanuel Ekwem at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, for being in possession of 54 sticks of drug suspected to be Indian hemp.
Ekwem, who claimed to be the General Overseer of Christ Living Hope Church was arrested at the airport on March 7 while on his way for a three-week crusade in Nairobi, Kenya.
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesman, who confirmed this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday said that Ekwem tried to conceal the drug by wrapping the cannabis sticks around his body.
He said the 39-year old popular preacher who has his church headquarters in Isuaniocha, Mgbakwu road, Awka, Awka North LGA, Anambra state and two other branches in Lagos and Abuja was arrested during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight to Nairobi via Addis Ababa.
“When tested, the 54 sticks proved positive to cannabis. The clergyman confessed during preliminary interview that he packed that quantity of illicit substance on his body to use during his three weeks crusade in Kenya,” the statement said.
Babafemi also said that on the same day, another passenger, Nnakeanyi Chukwuka King who arrived the airport on Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa was also intercepted with some quantities if drugs.
According to Babafemi, King was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers at the E-Arrival Hall of the MMIA and during a search of his luggage, 40 parcels of cocaine concealed inside bottles of body cream with a gross weight of 9.70kg were recovered from the suspect.
Similarly, on March 9, another passenger on Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy, Mr Edo Blessing was intercepted at the Departure Hall of the airport with 2, 090 tablets of Tramadol 225mg and Flunitrazepam.
The statement said that the suspect who hails from Edo State but lives in Italy claimed ownership of the recovered psychotropic substances.
“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,” Babafemi stated.
Also in a related development, the agency has arrested a 63-year-old Vincent Obimma with 350 grams of cocaine and 150 grams of heroin.
Obimma was arrested on Friday, March 11 by NDLEA operatives at a park in the Apapa seaport corridor in Lagos.
The drugs hidden in industrial torch packets were heading to Kano, Kano State.
Meanwhile, a drug dealer in Kaduna state, James Okenwa has also 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,” the NDLEA said.
In Yobe state, two fake security agents: Akalonu Justin and Azimbi Festus who were coming from Onitsha and heading to Maiduguri, Borno state were arrested by operatives with 25 blocks of Cannabis Sativa weighing 12 .5kg and 1, 598 bottles of Codeine Syrup weighing 159.8 Liters.
The statement further stated that 85kg of cannabis was also recovered from the warehouse of a notorious drug dealer in Pawari area of Damaturu, the state capital on Thursday , March 10.
“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,” Babafemi said.
The Chairman/ Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) commended officers and men of the MMIA, Apapa Port, Kaduna, Yobe and Anambra Commands for their impressive performance.
He then charged them and their colleagues across the country to stay focussed and intensify efforts to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs and substances. (vitalnews)
