NDLEA arrests suspected kingpin behind fake couple’s cocaine trafficking

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a suspected drug kingpin, Ngene Onyedikachi, who allegedly recruited a fake couple, Kingsley Ilonzeh and Roseline Ilonzeh for drug trafficking.

The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, stated on Sunday in Abuja that the fake couple were arrested over alleged ingesting 1.822kg and 1.50kg of cocaine respectively, at the Lagos airport on Aug. 1, while on their way to India.

According to Babafemi, the NDLEA operatives arrested Onyedikachi on Friday Aug. 25, at his residence located at no. 28 Afolabi Brown Street, Akoka, Yaba, after an intensive surveillance that lasted 25 days.

He said that Onyedikachi confessed that the two suspects, Kingsley Ilonzeh and Roseline Ilonzeh were introduced to him by another member of his syndicate, who he claimed, met at Zion Church in the Cele area of Lagos.

Babafemi said that the suspect explained that the drug was sourced from Guinea Conakry.

“The suspect revealed that when he got information about the arrest of the fake couple, he threw away his old mobile phone along with the SIM cards.

“He said it was done so as to avoid being traced, adding that he became relaxed and refused to leave his house because the two couriers did not know his house, since they have only met twice at different locations.

“He said he was living in India before he returned to Nigeria in 2022, after the Indian authorities discovered that he was using Ivory Coast International passport.

“A blue Acura Legend car was part of items recovered from his home during his arrest,” he said.

In another development, operatives of the agency’s command in Lagos on Aug. 28, also arrested a suspect, one Peter Iwebema, at Ikorodu with 79 and a half bags of cannabis sativa.

Babafemi said that the drugs were weighing 864.5kg, adding that their counterparts at the Tincan port, also intercepted 27 parcels of Colorado, weighing 13.5kg.

He said that the seizures were made from a container, MSMU 5664550 coming from Toronto via Montreal, Canada, during a joint examination with men of the Customs Service.

“The synthetic substance was discovered concealed in a bag hidden in a Ford Edge SUV, which was part of three units of used vehicles and motor parts in the container,” he said.

Also, in Sokoto, operatives of the agency on Tuesday Aug. 29, arrested two male suspects, Nafiu Arzika, 30 and Jamilu Aminu, 35, with 330kg of skunk.

The NDLEA spokesman, said that another suspect, Ismaila Razak, 38, was nabbed with 34.5kg of same substance and 9.5 grams of methamphetamine on Saturday, Sept. 2, at the Olodo area of Ibadan, in Oyo.

In another development, the NDLEA commands in states across the country and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had intensified the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), advocacy campaigns to schools, worship places, palaces and local communities.

“For instance, sensitisation lectures were conducted at the Holy Trinity Gospel Church, Ogbomoso and for Muslim faithful, at the Jammatul Nasirul Islam mosque, in Ilorin.

“Also, we had it with members of the Association of Hair Stylists in Ado Ekiti, leaders of road transport union in Abeokuta and traders at Kwata market, Awka.

“Also, involved in the lectures were pregnant women at primary health care centre, in Bonny, Dekara district palace, Babana community in Borgu Local Government Area (LGA) and the Noorul Huda Islamiyya school, Kafin Maiyaki,” he said.