The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully foiled a drug trafficking operation involving a 26-year-old nursing student, Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinma.
The second-year nursing student at Noida International University, Uttar Pradesh, India, was caught with plans to smuggle 76 wraps of cocaine.
She was apprehended at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, ahead of her scheduled flight.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Uzodinma was set to board Qatar Airways flight 1432 to India on January 17, 2025.
However, she was arrested on January 16, at Royal Park Hotel, Kano, where she awaited the cocaine consignment she was supposed to ingest before her flight.
The breakthrough came after the arrest of Cosmas Okorie, 31, who was intercepted on the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State.
Okorie was caught with an audio speaker concealing 76 cocaine pellets weighing 1.34 kilograms, which he was tasked with delivering to Uzodinma in Kano.
A follow-up operation led to Uzodinma’s arrest later that evening.
Uzodinma admitted working for an Indian drug cartel, which sponsored her trip to Nigeria for the holidays.
She avoided her home state, Imo, and stayed in hotels across Enugu, Abuja, and Kano to keep her parents unaware of her activities.
The cartel had promised her $5,000 for successfully smuggling the drugs.
Related Operations
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers seized over 38,000 tramadol pills hidden in audio speakers and clothing during routine checks along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja highway.
In Lagos, operatives recovered significant quantities of illicit drugs, including 10 parcels of “Canadian Loud” from Ojodu-Berger, 1,610 kilograms of cannabis from Igando New Town, and 28 kilograms of Canadian Loud from suspects in Lekki.
Additionally, in Abuja and Kano, multiple arrests were made, and psychoactive substances such as tramadol and codeine were confiscated.
Advocacy and Progress
The NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, educating schools, religious institutions, and communities about the dangers of drug abuse.
The agency also engaged in advocacy activities with notable figures like Governor Alex Otti of Abia State.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), NDLEA Chairman, commended the agency’s operatives for their dedication and encouraged them to intensify efforts to curb drug trafficking and abuse.
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