Kano Airport Sees Largest Cocaine Seizure in History
Operatives from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) apprehended Olisaka Chibuzo Calistus, a businessman involved in import and export, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. On December 15, 2024, Calistus was caught with 256 wraps of cocaine, totaling 6 kilograms, marking the largest cocaine seizure at this airport since the establishment of the MAKIA Command in 2006. The arrest occurred during the processing of passengers arriving on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941, which had originated from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, with a stopover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A body search revealed that Calistus had concealed the cocaine pellets inside his body.
Ex-Convict Attempts Drug Export Again
In a related incident, NDLEA officials thwarted an attempt by Olanrewaju Bada Akorede, an ex-convict, to smuggle Rohypnol to South Africa. Akorede’s strategy involved hiding the drugs within a shipment of gari, shoes, men’s singlets, and other items at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. Akorede had previously been convicted for a similar offense earlier in the year, following his arrest on December 12, 2023, with 4.90kg of tramadol and 2.10kg of Rohypnol. He served a two-year sentence or could pay a fine of N900,000, opting for the latter before attempting this repeat crime.
Italian-Bound Businesswoman Arrested with Tramadol
Additionally, on December 18, 2024, NDLEA officers arrested Cynthia Akaeen, an Italy-based businesswoman, at Lagos airport. She was attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Italy via Addis Ababa when 9,190 tablets of various tramadol brands, weighing 6 kilograms, were found in her possession. Akaeen confessed that she was promised 1,000 Euros for successfully delivering the consignment in Italy.
