NDLEA nabs Oman-bound passenger with drugs at MMIA, intercepts 5 pregnant girls

<p>The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says its operatives have thwarted fresh attempts by members of some transnational drug trafficking organisations to export various quantities of methamphetamine and skunk through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, and courier companies in Lagos.</p>, <p>This is even as NDLEA announced that an intending passenger, Ugwu Peter Tochukwu, was arrested with drugs while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight to Oman on Tuesday.</p>, <p>The anti-narcotic agency explained that 7.50 kilograms of skunk were discovered concealed inside crayfish mixed with dry bitter leaf upon a thorough search of the suspect’s luggage.</p>, <p>This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.</p>, <p>Babafemi similarly stated that NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations attached to some courier companies also intercepted Dubai-bound 2.9 kilograms of skunk and 14 grams of methamphetamine concealed in bags of semovita and soles of ladies’ high heel shoes, respectively.</p>, <p>He further disclosed that NDLEA operatives on patrol along Aba-Owerri expressway on Wednesday intercepted five pregnant teenage girls suspected to be victims of child trafficking used as baby factory.</p>, <p>According to him, they were picked up while being relocated from their hideout in the Naze area of Owerri to Ikenegbu.</p>, <p>The statement gave the names of the victims as: Chioma Emmanuel, 15; Uma Faith, 15; Divine Adimonye, 17; Opara Gift, 15; and Amarachi Mbata, 16.</p>, <p>The NDLEA spokesman explained that the victims in their statements claimed they didn’t know the men who impregnated them.</p>, <p>However, he noted that the Imo State Command of the Agency has since been directed to hand them over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, for further investigations.</p>, <p>The statement added, “Two suspects: Moses Akowe, 32, and Sunday Gabriel, 31, were arr