A 36-year-old lady, Chioma Afam, who uses multiple identities and wears hijab to evade security scrutiny has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA in Benue State.
She was nabbed along with her partner, Peace Chidinma Caleb, 22, while attempting to smuggle a total of 296,000 tablets of Diazepam and Exol-5 from Onitsha, Anambra State to Gombe State.
Chioma, according to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director for Media and Advocacy, uses multiple names such as Amina, Uzoamaka and Ifunaya to cover her criminal activities.
But the bubble burst for her last Saturday, July 17, 2021, and her 22-year-old accomplice, Peace Chidinma Caleb, who also reportedly wears hijab to cover her track, during routine checks and profiling of inward vehicles into Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
According to Babafemi, their vehicle coming from Onitsha, Anambra State, was intercepted along Makurdi – Alliade road while heading to Gombe State via Makurdi.
“A search of their vehicle led to the discovery of 43kilograms of Diazepam and 33kg of Exol-5, both weighing 76 kilograms with a total of Two Hundred and Ninety Six Thousand (296,000) tablets packed in four large ‘Ghana must go’ bags,” Babafemi continued in the release.
“Curiously, the two interstate drug traffickers have rebuffed efforts to take pictures with the exhibits without wearing their hijab.”
In the meantime, the Ondo State command of the NDLEA, also last Sunday, July 18, 2021, intercepted one Olu Ameh, a commercial motorcycle operator, with 465 kilograms of cannabis sativa along Ijagba-Ute road in Ose local government area of the state.
The illicit substance was said to have been bought from one Joseph in Ago-Akure, Akure North LGA, and was being conveyed to the buyer, a certain Egbonwon at Ijagba village in Ose LGA.
Reacting to the two seizures and arrests, Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig.General Buba Marwa (retd), commended the commanders, officers and men of the Benue and Ondo state Commands of the agency for their efforts to ensure that no illicit substance is allowed to pass through their jurisdictions under whatever guise to destroy the lives of innocent Nigerians in other parts of the country.
While wishing them and their colleagues in other Commands across Nigeria a happy Sallah celebration, he charged them to remain vigilant at all times.
