NDLEA makes most illicit drugs arrest on Ethiopian Airways, BA, SA in 2019

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) has disclosed that in 2019 most arrests of suspects peddling illicit drugs made at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) were passengers traveling with Ethiopian Airlines, British Airways, South African Airways, and Emirates airline.

The agency disclosed that out of 101 suspects arrested within the year under review consisting of 87 males and 14 females, 19 people were arrested on Ethiopian Airlines, 13 on South African Airways, 10 on British Airways cargo airplanes and seven on Emirates Airlines.

The command, however, stressed that these arrests were made with the collaborations of the international airlines.

Speaking during a press conference at its office in MMIA, Garba Ahmadu, NDLEA commander for Lagos airport said Dubai was the transit point for most illicit drug peddlers.

Ahmadu said record of arrests in the year under review indicates that there is an increase in the number of persons arrested from 93 persons in the year 2018 to 101 persons in the year 2019, showing an 8.6percent increase.

He further disclosed that the number of seizures and cases recorded in the year under review has also increased to 76 from 73 in the previous year, showing an increase of 4.11 percent.

He, however, noted that from January to November 2019, the agency recorded 379. 061kg as against 5377.125kg recorded in 2018, showing an annual decrease of 92.97 percent.

Ahmadu said cocaine accounted for 9.03 percent of total drug seizures, Heroin 5.75 percent, cannabis Sativa 44.71 percent, Methamphetamine 24.93 percent, Ephedrine 7.45 percent and others (Psychotropic substances) 8.13 percent.

According to him, “NDLEA has been able to make these arrests because we have a better capacity now and more officers are trained to do diverse investigations and followups.

“Collaboration with international airlines have improved our officers’ capabilities to do better targetting and profiling. Initially, the challenge that we had was access to airlines but now we have access to airlines because of their corporation.”

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.