Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)  have arrested a 74-year-old man at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, after cocaine concealed in food items was found in his luggage.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s director of media and advocacy, in a statement on Sunday, said the suspect, identified as Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, was arrested at the departure hall of the airport on Saturday while attempting to board a British Airways flight to London.

Babafemi said the suspect, who claimed he was travelling to London for vacation, was intercepted during routine checks.

He added that a search of the suspect’s luggage led to the discovery of blocks of cocaine weighing 11 kilogrammes concealed in food items, including ground dry pepper, and wrapped in foil papers and balloons.

Babafemi said the arrest was part of a series of operations carried out by the agency across the country in the past week.

In Lagos, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence arrested Maryam Olalowo at Ikad Hotel and Suites on Etim Inyang Street, Victoria Island, while she was allegedly attempting to sell 89 grammes of cocaine and 20 grammes of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis.

He said the suspect was found with her three children, including an infant, at the time of the arrest.

Babafemi added that she told investigators the illicit drugs belonged to her husband, Ibrahim Olatunji.

He said the husband was subsequently arrested the same day while the woman was immediately released.

Babafemi said Olatunji confirmed ownership of the drugs during interrogation.

“Further investigation revealed that he had previously been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for a similar offence in 2015,” the statement reads.

Meanwhile, in another operation in Lagos, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects; Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim, at Ebetu Ero on Lagos Island.

He said officers recovered 68,000 pills of tramadol (250mg and 225mg) after the suspects had loaded the drugs into a truck and were preparing to transport them to Benin Republic on March 9.

Babafemi said a follow-up operation on March 11 led to the arrest of Nnamdi Cyprian, described as the owner of the consignment, at Idumota market on Lagos Island.

He added that a search of his shop uncovered a parcel prepared for waybill delivery containing 1,000 tablets of tramadol (250mg).

Babafemi said another raid at Idumota market on March 13 resulted in the arrest of Nwanosike Kelvin, from whose shop officers recovered 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection.

In Kano state, the NDLEA spokesperson said officers arrested Magaji Dan Azumi, 42, at the Bebeji area with 386 kilogrammes of skunk on March 10.

He said NDLEA officers in Abuja also recovered 282.2 kilogrammes of skunk from a suspect, Isah Wako, 42, in the Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on March 13.

Babafemi said operatives in Edo state raided the Egwa forest reserve in Aduan village, Orhionmwon LGA, where a suspect, Chinedo Odalonu, 33, was arrested.

He added that officers destroyed 4,218.96 kilogrammes of skunk on two farms in the forest while recovering 16.5 kilogrammes of the same substance.

Babafemi also said no fewer than 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in two containers at the Apapa seaport in Lagos on March 14 during a joint examination involving NDLEA officers, customs officials, and other security agencies.

He said the containers had earlier been placed on a watch list following intelligence suggesting that opioids were concealed in the shipments.

Babafemi said the agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities across the country, including lectures delivered to students and staff of schools in Nasarawa, Oyo, Delta, Cross River, and Edo states.

He added that the zone 11 command of the agency also paid an advocacy visit to Francis Nwifuru, governor of Ebonyi state.

Babafemi said Buba Marwa, chairman and chief executive officer of NDLEA, commended officers of the Abuja and Lagos airports, Kano, Edo and FCT commands for the arrests and seizures recorded in the past week.

He added that Marwa also praised other commands across the country for maintaining a balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has arrested 93 Nigerians over alleged involvement in internet fraud and violations of immigration laws.

The GIS, in a statement on Monday, said the arrest followed an intelligence–led raid on a suspected internet fraud network operating at Devtraco Estate in Accra.

According to the statement issued by Maud Anima Quainoo, the suspects comprise 91 males and two females.

Quainoo added that 73 victims who had reportedly endured severe abuse and torture at the hands of the suspects were also rescued during the raid.

Items recovered from the premises included 82 laptops, 57 mobile phones, 17 television sets, counterfeit US dollar notes, and fake gold bars, along with several household appliances believed to have been used to support the fraudulent operations.

Preliminary investigations indicate that some suspects entered Ghana through unauthorised border crossings, while others allegedly overstayed the 90-day visa-free period available to citizens of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries.

The 73 rescued victims have since been repatriated to Nigeria, the statement said, adding that investigations are continuing at the GIS headquarters to determine the full scale of the criminal network.

The GIS urged foreign nationals in Ghana to comply with the country’s immigration and criminal laws.

In January, the Ghana police arrested 53 Nigerians allegedly involved in cybercrime and rescued 44 suspected victims of forced labour.

Also, in a separate operations last December, authorities arrested some 78 Nigerians linked to cybercrime.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared a Chinese national, Peiyuan Niu, wanted over an alleged case of obtaining money by false pretence.

The EFCC made the announcement in a notice issued on Tuesday and signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.

According to the commission, the 40-year-old Niu is a Chinese national whose last known address is 111, Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, Lagos State.

“The public is hereby notified that Peiyuan Niu, whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in an alleged case of obtaining money by false pretence,” the notice read.

The anti-graft agency urged members of the public with useful information about his whereabouts to contact its offices across the country or report to the nearest police station and other security agencies.

It also provided a contact phone number and email address through which information could be forwarded to the agency

“Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should please contact the Commission in its Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt or Abuja offices or through 08093322644; its e-mail address: info@efcc.gov.ng or the nearest Police Station and other security agencies,” the notice concluded.