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) in Kano.
He was caught attempting to traffic 120 wraps of cocaine, which he had ingested, to Istanbul, Turkey.
Abuba was arrested on Tuesday, February 25, at the screening point of the Kano airport while trying to board an Egypt Air flight MS 880 to Istanbul via Cairo.
A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs.
He was then placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 120 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.829 kilograms in seven excretions.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Abuba, who is from the Zaire province in Angola, claimed he was previously involved in township delivery services before engaging in drug trafficking.
In a related operation, NDLEA officers intercepted an attempt by Okeke Ebuka, an auto spare parts dealer, to send 1.10 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside vehicle propellers to Angola.
The drugs were discovered at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
Ebuka was arrested on February 25 following credible intelligence. During interrogation, he claimed to be a businessman selling auto parts in the ASPANDA Trade Fair Complex in Lagos.
Another drug trafficking attempt was foiled when NDLEA operatives arrested Ezechi Iyke on February 23.
Iyke was caught transporting a large consignment of cocaine weighing 5.40 kilograms in a Toyota Sienna bus. He was apprehended by a special operations unit of the NDLEA following weeks of intelligence and surveillance.
Meanwhile, NDLEA has continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitization programs in schools, workplaces, worship centers, and communities.
Some of the institutions involved in these programs include Ansarudeen Junior Secondary School in Lagos,Loretto Girls Special Science School in Anambra, and Tudun Murtala Special Primary School in Kano.
The NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers and men of the Tin-can, Delta, Edo, Oyo, Kano, Osun, Borno, Zamfara, and Kwara commands for their efforts in making arrests and drug seizures.