The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the arrest of Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simon Peter, a 29-year-old Thailand returnee, for importing 13.30kg of heroin worth over N3.192 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Oguejiofor was arrested on Monday, October 7, 2024, while attempting to smuggle the illicit drug out of the airport.
The suspect had arrived in Lagos on a Qatar Airways flight from Bangkok, Thailand, with a stopover in Doha, Qatar.
“The substances were concealed in six backpacks and then packed into two big suitcases,” Babafemi said. “NDLEA officers intercepted Oguejiofor at the point of exit after he contacted the airline to reroute his luggage to Nigeria, attempting to bypass security checks.”
Investigations revealed that Oguejiofor, a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Anambra State, had initially routed his luggage to Accra, Ghana.
However, he rerouted the luggage to Lagos to avoid detection.
A thorough search of his suitcases revealed three empty backpacks in each box with a large parcel of heroin neatly sewn to all six backpacks. The six parcels were subsequently recovered with a gross weight of 13.30kg.
During interrogation, Oguejiofor confessed to being hired for a fee of $7,000 upon successful delivery of the parcels. He stated that he was to deliver two parcels in Lagos and the other four parcels in Accra, Ghana.
“This arrest is a testament to the agency’s commitment to disrupting the supply chain of illicit drugs into the country,” Babafemi said.
In addition to Oguejiofor’s arrest, NDLEA operatives also intercepted large consignments of opioids with a combined monetary value of N22.7 billion at three seaports.
