Narcotic agents quiz Ijeoma Ojukwu, four others for importing 2.24 kilogrammes of cocaine
ON a day Nigerians were remembering the end of a three-year civil war and agitation for the state of Biafra in 1970, the long noose of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday turned up new discovery when narcotic officers arrested Ijeoma Ojukwu, a niece to the late Biafra leader, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, along with four others for their alleged involvement in the importation of 2.24kg of cocaine.
Also arrested was a staffer of the agency alleged to have facilitated the clearance of the illicit substance at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja. The five suspects are currently being interrogated at the agency’s headquarters in Shaw Road, Ikoyi. The illicit substance imported from Brazil was allegedly abandoned at the international wing of MMIA.
NDLEA Head of Public Affairs, Mitchel Ofoyeju, who confirmed the arrest, revealed that operatives of the agency commenced investigation after an abandoned luggage from Brazil was found to contain 2.24kg of cocaine at the airport.
He said the investigation had already led to the arrest of five suspects. Those arrested alongside Ojukwu include Ali Bala Adamu, an employee of the NDLEA, Victor Umeh, Uche Igwelo and Egbuche Fidelis Osiita.
Reacting to the arrest, the acting Chairman of the NDLEA, Mrs. Roli Bode-George, said the agency would prosecute whoever is found guilty. “The NDLEA is following every lead professionally and will exploit more opportunities towards getting every culprit arrested.
“We have also expanded the scope of our investigation and everyone involved in this illegal importation of narcotics shall be diligently prosecuted. The agency will continue to uphold the rule of law and dislodge drug trafficking organisations in the country,” Roli stated.
NDLEA Commander at the airport, Mr. Ahmadu Garba, said the cocaine seizure is the first in the New Year. “This is the first drug seizure for the year. On December 28, 2015, a bag with a tag bearing Agina Fidelis Ejike was abandoned at the arrival hall during inward screening of passengers on an Emirates flight.
“On January 1, 2016, one Egbuche Fidelis Osita came with an authority letter mandating him to collect the bag. In the process, some white powdery substance weighing 2.24kg that tested positive for cocaine was discovered. The drug was neatly packed in four parcels concealed in false bottom of four female handbags,” Garba stated.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Ijeoma Ojukwu, 48, who owns a restaurant in Brazil, is a suspected member of an international drug trafficking organization. She allegedly conspired with other suspects to collect the abandoned bag from the airport with the intent to recover the 2.24kg of cocaine.
The Agency also impounded the Acura MDX vehicle that the suspects drove to the airport.