Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have thwarted an attempt by a 26-year-old nursing student, Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinma, to ingest 76 wraps of cocaine before boarding her return flight to India.
The suspect, a 200-level nursing student at Noida International University in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested at the Royal Park Hotel in Sabon Gari, Kano, on Thursday, January 16, 2025, according to a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday
Esther had planned to travel on Qatar Airways Flight 1432 to Delhi from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) the next morning, Babafemi said.
However, NDLEA operatives intercepted the cocaine consignment concealed in an audio speaker on a commuter bus along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State.
The courier, Cosmas Okorie, 31, was arrested, leading to Esther’s subsequent apprehension.
According to Babafemi, in her statement, Esther revealed that a drug cartel in India recruited her, paid for her trip to Nigeria, and promised her over $5,000 to deliver the drugs.
To avoid suspicion, she spent two weeks in an Enugu hotel and later moved to Abuja before heading to Kano.
The statement indicated that in a series of operations, NDLEA officers made multiple arrests and drug seizures across the country.
-Thenation
