Rita Odafe
A Thai returnee, Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simon Peter, has been apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for attempting to smuggle in 13.30 kg of heroin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, valued at over N3.192 billion.
The NDLEA also revealed significant seizures of opioids that collectively amount to N22.7 billion across three seaports.
This information was disclosed in a statement from Femi Babafemi, Director of Media & Advocacy at the NDLEA, on a Sunday.
According to the report, Oguejiofor was caught on October 7, 2024, while trying to smuggle illegal drugs out of the airport.
He had hidden the drugs in six backpacks, which were then packed into two large suitcases.
At 29 years old, Oguejiofor is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University in Uli, Anambra State. He left Thailand on October 3, 2024, took a Qatar Airways flight, and had a two-day layover in Doha, Qatar, before heading to Lagos while his luggage was originally directed to Accra, Ghana.
Details from the statement revealed that NDLEA agents intercepted Oguejiofor as he exited the airport. He had contacted the airline to change the route of his luggage to Nigeria, intending to collect it quickly to evade security.
A search of his luggage uncovered three empty backpacks in each suitcase, with parcels of heroin meticulously stitched to the backpacks, totaling 13.30 kg.
During questioning, Oguejiofor claimed that he was promised $7,000 for successfully delivering the parcels, which were split between Lagos and Accra.
In a related operation, the NDLEA reported the seizure of 32,607,900 tramadol pills worth over N12.5 billion and 1,451,994 bottles of codeine syrup with a street value of N10.1 billion at various ports in Lagos and Rivers State.
The NDLEA highlighted that the total value of the intercepted opioids reached approximately N22.7 billion.
The illicit goods were seized from containers flagged by the NDLEA based on intelligence, which were jointly examined with Nigeria Customs and other agencies between October 7 and October 11, 2024.
Additionally, on October 12, 2024, NDLEA operatives in Anambra apprehended a suspect named Okelue Chidera, 29, who possessed 50,000 tablets of 200mg tramadol.
In Edo State, a cannabis smuggling operation was disrupted, resulting in the recovery of 70 bags of cannabis weighing 1,050 kg, while another raid led to the arrest of a suspect, Monday Akele, on October 11, 2024, with 110 kg of the same substance.
