By IBIRONKE ARIYO

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 42-year-old Angolan businessman, Mbala Abuba at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano for attempting to traffic 120 wraps of cocaine, which he ingested to Istanbul,Turkey.

The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Babafemi said that Abuba who is from the Zaire province in Angola was arrested on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the screening point of the Kano airport while trying to board Egypt Air flight MS 880 to Istanbul, Turkey via Cairo.

This, he said was after his body scan result confirmed he ingested illicit drug.

“The suspect was thereafter, placed under excretion observation during which he expelled 120 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.829 kilograms in seven excretions.

“In his statement, the suspect claimed he was into the business of township delivery services in Angola before delving into the illicit drug trade,” he said.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives stopped a similar attempt by an auto spare parts dealer, Okeke Ebuka, to send two parcels of 1.10kg cocaine concealed in vehicle propellers to Angola.

Babafemi said that the drugs were to be sent through the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos.

He said that the suspect was arrested by the NDLEA operatives on Monday, Feb. 25 following credible intelligence.

“During an interview, the suspect, claimed that he is a businessman selling auto parts in ASPANDA, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo area of Lagos, “he said.

Also, Babafemi said that the NDLEA frustrated the bid by another suspect, Ezechi Iyke to move a large consignment of cocaine weighing 5.40 kilograms to Owerri, Imo state.

The NDLEA spokesman said that Iyke was arrested in his Toyota Sienna bus on Sunday, Feb. 23 by operatives of a special operations unit of NDLEA following weeks of intelligence and surveillance.

With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Ansarudeen Junior Secondary School, Ojuelegba, Lagos; Loretto Girls Special Science School, Adazinnukwu, Anambra and Tudun Murtala Special Primary School, Nasarawa LGA, Kano State, among others.

Babafemi quoted the NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, as commending the officers and men of Tin-can, Delta, Edo, Oyo, Kano, Osun, Borno, Zamfara and Kwara Commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures. (NAN)