NDLEA arrests mother of three with 904 grammes of cocaine at Abuja
There was a mild drama as Operatives of the National
Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday
arrested a mother of three, Mrs. Saidat Bola Hassan who
vomited about fifteen wraps of white powdery substances that tested
positive for cocaine at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International
Airport (NAIA), Abuja.
The 48-year-old suspect was apprehended at the central
screening section of the departure hall during screening
of passengers on an Egypt Airline flight to Jedda, Saudi
Arabia en-route Cairo when officials of the anti-drug
agency discovered that she had ingested 80 wraps of
cocaine weighing 904 grammes.
NDLEA Abuja airport Commander Mr. Hamisu Lawan
said that efforts were made to protect her from any harm
resulting from drug ingestion.
“As soon as we discovered that the suspected wraps she
vomited tested positive for cocaine, we took measures to
ensure her safety by preventing any harm that may result
from drug ingestion. While under observation, she
excreted sixty-five (65) similar wraps. In all, she ingested
eighty wraps of cocaine weighing 904 grammes; her case
is under investigation” Hamisu stated.
Chairman of NDLEA, Col. Mohammad Mustapha Abdallah
(rtd) who expressed satisfaction with her arrest said that
her action negates every principle of good parenting.
“This is gross ineptitude on the part of a mother saddled
with the responsibility of nurturing her children into future
leaders. I am glad that she did not die from drug
ingestion and she is alive to face trial. Besides escaping
the risk of swallowing cocaine, this arrest also saved her
because drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia is punishable by
death. She will soon be charged to court because the law
must run its full course. I expect the general public to
learn lessons from this case that drug trafficking leads to
pain, ignominy and untimely death,” Abdallah said.
The NDLEA boss added that his approach to drug control
was both pragmatic and scientific, noting that every
action taken must be based on best global principles
while lessons learnt would influence the implementation
strategies in the day to day operations.
Col. Abdallah stressed that the Agency would continue to
sensitize members of the public by presenting facts and
figures of drug trafficking as well as the larger picture of
its ruin and devastation”.
Narrating her ordeal, Mrs. Saidat Bola Hassan, a native of
Idiroko, Ogun State who resides in Lagos Island said that
she is a business woman dealing in clothing materials.
According to her, “I am a business woman and I sell
women clothes at Balogun Market. I used to buy my
goods from Ghana. I was introduced into the drug
business by a friend and business partner. The drug was
brought from Abidjan, Ivory Coast and we were to share
the proceeds equally. Until my arrest, I never knew that
the cocaine I ingested would have led to my death in
Saudi Arabia. I thank God for keeping me alive”.
It will be recalled that a female drug trafficker, Ifeoma
Daniel Joy a native of Ukwa in Ukwa Local Government
Area of Abia State who vomited wraps of cocaine at the
departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport Ikeja, Lagos later died as a result of cocaine bust
in 2007. Joy, aged 29, was said to have died after one of
the wraps of drugs she ingested burst while preparing to
board an Ethiopian Airline heading for Dubai, United Arab
Emirates. She had ingested 79 wraps of substances that
tested positive for cocaine with a weight of 1.32
kilogrammes.
Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday
arrested a mother of three, Mrs. Saidat Bola Hassan who
vomited about fifteen wraps of white powdery substances that tested
positive for cocaine at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International
Airport (NAIA), Abuja.
The 48-year-old suspect was apprehended at the central
screening section of the departure hall during screening
of passengers on an Egypt Airline flight to Jedda, Saudi
Arabia en-route Cairo when officials of the anti-drug
agency discovered that she had ingested 80 wraps of
cocaine weighing 904 grammes.
NDLEA Abuja airport Commander Mr. Hamisu Lawan
said that efforts were made to protect her from any harm
resulting from drug ingestion.
“As soon as we discovered that the suspected wraps she
vomited tested positive for cocaine, we took measures to
ensure her safety by preventing any harm that may result
from drug ingestion. While under observation, she
excreted sixty-five (65) similar wraps. In all, she ingested
eighty wraps of cocaine weighing 904 grammes; her case
is under investigation” Hamisu stated.
Chairman of NDLEA, Col. Mohammad Mustapha Abdallah
(rtd) who expressed satisfaction with her arrest said that
her action negates every principle of good parenting.
“This is gross ineptitude on the part of a mother saddled
with the responsibility of nurturing her children into future
leaders. I am glad that she did not die from drug
ingestion and she is alive to face trial. Besides escaping
the risk of swallowing cocaine, this arrest also saved her
because drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia is punishable by
death. She will soon be charged to court because the law
must run its full course. I expect the general public to
learn lessons from this case that drug trafficking leads to
pain, ignominy and untimely death,” Abdallah said.
The NDLEA boss added that his approach to drug control
was both pragmatic and scientific, noting that every
action taken must be based on best global principles
while lessons learnt would influence the implementation
strategies in the day to day operations.
Col. Abdallah stressed that the Agency would continue to
sensitize members of the public by presenting facts and
figures of drug trafficking as well as the larger picture of
its ruin and devastation”.
Narrating her ordeal, Mrs. Saidat Bola Hassan, a native of
Idiroko, Ogun State who resides in Lagos Island said that
she is a business woman dealing in clothing materials.
According to her, “I am a business woman and I sell
women clothes at Balogun Market. I used to buy my
goods from Ghana. I was introduced into the drug
business by a friend and business partner. The drug was
brought from Abidjan, Ivory Coast and we were to share
the proceeds equally. Until my arrest, I never knew that
the cocaine I ingested would have led to my death in
Saudi Arabia. I thank God for keeping me alive”.
It will be recalled that a female drug trafficker, Ifeoma
Daniel Joy a native of Ukwa in Ukwa Local Government
Area of Abia State who vomited wraps of cocaine at the
departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport Ikeja, Lagos later died as a result of cocaine bust
in 2007. Joy, aged 29, was said to have died after one of
the wraps of drugs she ingested burst while preparing to
board an Ethiopian Airline heading for Dubai, United Arab
Emirates. She had ingested 79 wraps of substances that
tested positive for cocaine with a weight of 1.32
kilogrammes.