According to the statement, the suspect leads a drug syndicate at the international wing of the airport.
Nigeria's anti-narcotics agency, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says it has arrested a cleaner, Ohiagu Sunday, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for his alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, through its Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi. The statement is titled: "NDLEA arrests Lagos Airport cleaner who leads drug syndicate: raids car shop, recovers drugs, launches manhunt for motor dealer; seizes tons of narcotics".
According to the statement, the suspect leads a drug syndicate at the international wing of the airport.
According to the statement, the suspect was arrested on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, following the arrest of an intending passenger on an Air Peace flight to Dubai, UAE. The passenger, one Obinna Jacob Osita, was arrested with three bags, two of which contained eight blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 4.25kg concealed in cassava
product, gari and crayfish.
"One other member of the airport syndicate who works with Ohiagu has also been arrested while operatives are after another suspect," the statement said.
The anti-narcotics agency noted that its investigations have revealed that a Dubai-based drug dealer recruited Obinna, a 42-year-old native of Oyi Local Government Area, Anambra State to traffic the drugs. He allegedly equally contracted Ohiagu, a 34-year-old airport cleaner from Orlu West Local Government Area of Imo State to create access for the unhindered passage of the trafficker.
The statement partly read, "The drug syndicate bust, which is the first drug arrest at the new terminal of the MMIA comes on the heels of the seizure of a consignment of bottles of Viju and Fearless energy drinks used to conceal skunk for export to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) through the NAHCO export shed on Monday, 15th August.
"A freight agent has already been arrested in connection with the seizure," the statement read.
Meanwhile, Babafemi noted that an attempt by a syndicate to export illicit drugs through the Lagos airport on Wednesday, August 24, was foiled during an outward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airline to Oman via Addis Ababa.
It noted that during the clearance, a suspect identified as Jonah Chukwuemeka was arrested with a total of 1,995 Tramadol tablets with a gross weight of 900 grams hidden and packaged as locust beans in his luggage.
"The bag containing the illicit substance was handed over to him at the airport by one Olagunju Abbas who was promptly arrested.
"Packs of Tramadol 225mg containing 119,500 capsules were Thursday 25th August transferred to NDLEA by the Nigeria Customs, cargo wing of MMIA. The consignment had come in through Ethiopian Airline from Pakistan."
In another development, the agency's spokesman said its operatives on Saturday raided a car shop, Bolak Motors at Ewela bus stop, Oshodi, where bags of 615.2kg cannabis were recovered along with nine vehicles.
He said efforts were ongoing to track the car dealer, Alhaji Ismail, who was said to be at large.
"No fewer than eight suspects were arrested and bags of illicit drugs seized from them when Akerele area of Agege, Shogunle and Mafoluku areas of Oshodi, Fagba area of Ogba, Ipodo area of Ikeja and lyana Ipaja park were raided in the state.
"In Yobe state, two suspected fake security agents taking 14kg cannabis to Maiduguri, Borno state were intercepted along Potiskum- Damaturu Road.
"While Adetula Olarenwaju was arrested with four blocks of the substance on Thursday, 25th August on his way from Lagos, Sadiq Garba returning from Gombe was nabbed with 22 blocks of the substance on Saturday, 27th August," the statement added.