The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a businessman, Ajah Johnson Uchenna, his wife Rosemary, and their two daughters, Stella and Ngozi, for allegedly operating a major illicit drug distribution network in Lagos. A family friend, Okoro Elijah, was also arrested in connection with the operation.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the arrests followed a series of coordinated operations involving multiple security agencies.
The couple was first apprehended by the Department of State Services (DSS) on June 13 in the Ojo area of Lagos and handed over to the NDLEA along with 277.5kg of cannabis (skunk).
Further intelligence led to a second raid on July 1, during which NDLEA operatives uncovered an additional 231kg of skunk at their residence and storage facility. Their daughters, Ngozi and Blessing, and family friend Okoro Elijah, who allegedly continued the operation in their absence, were arrested during the follow-up raid.
In a separate operation, NDLEA agents intercepted cocaine consignments concealed in lipstick tubes and property documents bound for the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. The drugs were seized from cargo at a Lagos courier firm on July 3 by operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI).
A day later, on July 4, NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport intercepted 52 counterfeit travellers’ cheques worth 17.7 million Australian dollars, hidden in children’s books and bound for Malaysia via Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight.
A freight agent, Bolarinwa Saheed, was arrested in connection with the forged cheques, which have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.
