Udechukwu Ekene Theophilus, a Nigerian returnee from Brazil, was recently apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) by Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after excreting 60 packs of cocaine.
Upon his arrival, Ekene initially resisted undergoing a body scan, citing health concerns as a way to evade detection. However, NDLEA operatives, undeterred by his attempts, provided alternative options, and he ultimately agreed to be placed under ‘excretion observation.’ Subsequently, he expelled a total of 60 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.279kg, in five separate instances.
Confirming the incident, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi stated, “When the suspect was offered other options, he accepted to be placed on ‘excretion observation.’ Shortly after he was ushered into NDLEA’s observatory, he excreted the first set of cocaine pellets.”
During an interrogation, Ekene admitted to ingesting the contraband in Brazil and intended to discharge it upon reaching the airport in Addis Ababa. However, upon arrival, he could only excrete 15 pellets.
Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, January 28, 2024, revealed that the cocaine consignment entered the country in two batches on KLM Royal Dutch Airline flights from Karachi, Pakistan, between July 27 and August 1, 2023. NDLEA operatives had been monitoring the shipments since then.
It’s worth noting that the NDLEA had previously seized significant consignments of cocaine and Colorado, a potent strain of cannabis, at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos.
The smuggling of cocaine in Africa poses a significant challenge, both as a business and a source of income for many individuals. This issue requires a comprehensive response to address its impact on both the country and its citizens.
