Patrick, a native of Enugu North Local Government Area in Enugu State, was apprehended at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Friday, November 26 during an outbound clearance of a Turkish airline at the airport’s boarding area en route to Abuja-Istanbul-Madrid

On Sunday, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the suspect had sought refuge in Germany in 1996 and then migrated to Spain in 1999, where he obtained a residency card and worked as a driver for a food production firm.

Patrick stated he arrived in Nigeria on November 17 to sell the clothes and vehicle components he had imported to the country, according to Babafemi.

He said, however, that he was unable to sell his consignments, which cost him 4,000 Euros minus shipping costs because they were priced below cost at the Ladipo Market in Lagos, and that he needed to return to Spain to start work when his annual leave expired.

“As a result of this, he accepted an offer to traffic the substance in exchange for 1,500 Euros if he successfully delivered the package to someone in Spain,” he claimed.

“He claimed he left Lagos for Enugu to see his family members and then traveled on November 25 to Onitsha, Anambra State, where he was picked from Upper Iweka Park at night and taken to a house where he was given the 96 pellets of cocaine to ingest before leaving for Abuja to board his flight to Madrid the following day,” the NDLEA spokesman added.

In Delta State, a lady, Tina Ujene, was arrested in Ibusa with 1.1kg cannabis, while a follow-up raid on her supplier’s home led to the recovery of 54.7kg of the same substance.

Meanwhile, operatives of the agency at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos arrested a man, Okorie Onyeribe, for attempting to export 21.85kg of cannabis concealed in foodstuffs to London, UK.

He was said to have been nabbed at the NAHCO export shed of the airport on Friday, December 3.

Babafemi said, “Five students of the American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa, and University of Maiduguri, Borno State, were among suspects arrested for drug offenses in raids operations across nine states in the last week.

“Two of the students, Emmanuel Thlama and Jonah Joshua, were arrested with 16.750kg cannabis on the night of November 30 when operatives raided a settlement opposite Gate 4 of the University of Maiduguri. The other three, all AUN undergraduate students: Ekene Asher, Daniel Alkali and Emmanuel Smooth, were arrested at 11.30pm on Thursday, December 2, after taking delivery of ‘Loud’, a strong variant of cannabis ordered by Ekene for them to smoke.

“Earlier same day, operatives intercepted a motorized concrete mixer truck used to conceal 2000.6kg of cannabis, loaded at Ogbese, Ondo State. Two suspects arrested with the drugs: Matthew Donuwe and Friday Nborgwu, claimed they spent a month on the road from Ondo State, hoping to deliver the consignment in Mubi, Adamawa before they were arrested at Girei in the Girei LGA of the state.”

In Oyo State, operatives reportedly intercepted 608.40kg of cannabis Sativa concealed in a black Toyota Sequoia SUV with number plate, Lagos MUS 553 GN, and parked around the Tollgate area, Ibadan-Ife Expressway, Egbeda LGA, Ibadan, on Friday, December 3.

The NDLEA spokesman said, “The following day, operatives equally seized 85.90kg cannabis recovered from the boot of a Nissan Primera car, Lagos FJK 890 DZ, and in one of the rooms of an apartment where search operation was carried out at the Adegbayi area, Alakia, Egbeda LGA. Those arrested in connection with the seizure included Benson Uzoka, 46; Kafayat Uzoka, 40; Ndidi Uzoka, 39; and Christopher Uzoka, 42.

“Similarly, ThankGod Danladi, who had recently completed a prison sentence in October, was captured with 67kg cannabis in another raid in the state on Wednesday, December 1.