Business
Nigerian-British grandma Arrested with 13kg Cocaine Concealed in Plantain Peels
BY SUNDAY SAMUEL—At 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, Mary Yetunde Barek, has been arrested by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), after officers allegedly discovered 13kg of cocaine concealed in fake plantain peels hidden among food items in her luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The suspect who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom was arrested at the departure hall of terminal 2 of the Lagos airport while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic airline flight to London on Sunday 28th June 2026. A thorough search of her bags resulted in the discovery of 31 big wraps of cocaine which were packaged to appear like plantain hands, weighing a total of 13 kilograms. In her statement, the elderly woman admitted full ownership of the recovered cocaine exhibits.
Meanwhile, a sting operation in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State on Monday 29th June 2026 has resulted in the arrest of a 45-year-old PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka over the seizure of 5.80 kilograms of cocaine concealed in walls of nine cartons of Orijin bitters, a consignment that was part of a consolidated cargo heading to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The arrest of Nwabueze in Anambra state followed the interception of 36 parcels of cocaine, with a gross weight of 5.80 kilograms, concealed within the walls of the herbal drink cartons. Four suspects initially arrested in parts of Lagos during investigations include: the cargo agent, Alalade Taiwo Azeez; the driver who conveyed the consignment to the cargo agent, Ndem Ogbonna Kelechi; a trader at ASPANDA market, Trade Fair Complex, Lagos who handed over the consignment to the driver for delivery to the cargo agent, Okeke Tochukwu Chimezie and an accomplice who supplied the cartons of Origin bitters used in concealing the cocaine, Igwilo Chidi Henry. The efforts eventually paid off, leading to the unmasking of Nwabueze hiding in his village Aziora, Ozubulu, Anambra state as the leader of the syndicate.
In Taraba, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Saturday 4th July arrested a suspect, Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, 30, with 43,980 capsules of Tramadol concealed inside two vehicle fuel tanks along Zaki-biam road Wukari Local Government Area of the state, while coming from Onitsha, Anambra state.
Two suspects: Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, were arrested in possession of 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine by NDLEA officers on Thursday 2nd July during a raid operation at Gwantu, Gwantu LGA Kaduna state, while a 65-year-old suspect Francis Ifara Eja was nabbed with 231.7kg skunk at Ikwo, Ebonyi state on Saturday 4th July. Similarly, a 75-year-old grandpa Alhaji Babani was arrested in possession of 15kg skunk at Kurgwi, Qua’anpan LGA, Plateau state on Friday 3rd July.
In Gombe, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Wednesday 1st July arrested the duo of Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, at Kuri village, Yamaltu- Deba LGA, where they were found with 587 blocks of cannabis sativa, weighing 556 kilograms.
With the same level of dedication, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Girls Secondary School, Abagana, Anambra; Government Technical College, Obe, Enugu; Adeola Odutola College, Ijebu Ode, Ogun state; and FCE Staff Demonstration School, Kabuga, Kano state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau, and Gombe Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitization activities while he charged them and their compatriots across the country to continue to raise the operational bar.
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An Aero Contractors flight travelling from Lagos to Abuja on Saturday morning returned to its departure airport after the crew reported a technical issue while the aircraft was airborne.
The aircraft, which departed Lagos at about 7:30 a.m., had travelled part of the route mid air before the flight crew decided to discontinue the journey and return to Lagos as a precautionary safety measure.
Passengers were safely evacuated after the aircraft landed, and no injuries were reported.
A passenger aboard the flight told PREMIUM TIMES that the cabin became unusually hot while the aircraft was in the air, causing anxiety among passengers.
According to the passenger, the crew informed those on board that the aircraft had developed a technical problem and would return to Lagos but did not disclose the exact nature of the fault.
“There was a lot of panic because people did not know exactly what had happened. We were only told there was a technical problem and that we had to return to Lagos,” the passenger said.
As of 10:10 a.m., the affected passengers had begun boarding another Aero Contractors aircraft to continue their journey to Abuja, according to one of the passengers who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES.
PREMIUM TIMES contacted Aero Contractors for comments on the incident, including the nature of the reported technical issue, the reason for the aircraft’s return to Lagos and the arrangements made for affected passengers.
However, the airline had yet to respond as of the time this report was filed.
Recent incidents
Saturday’s occurrence comes about two months after a Max Air flight from Abuja to Katsina made an emergency return to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport shortly after take-off following a reported technical fault.
As previously reported by PREMIUM TIMES, passengers on the May 2026 flight recounted hearing loud banging sounds from the aircraft before it reportedly lost altitude briefly and struggled to stabilise, prompting the pilot to return to Abuja as a safety precaution. The aircraft landed safely, and no injuries were reported.
READ ALSO: Benin runway excursion not crash or emergency landing Enugu Air CEO
The Aero Contractors incident also comes amid increased public attention to airline operations following Thursday’s runway excursion involving an Enugu Air Embraer E170 at Benin Airport.
Although all 63 passengers and five crew members escaped unhurt, the occurrence disrupted flight operations after the runway was temporarily closed, forcing Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines to suspend flights to and from Benin while aircraft recovery and safety assessments were carried out.
While the circumstances surrounding the Aero Contractors, Max Air and Enugu Air incidents differ, they have renewed attention on operational reliability and safety across Nigeria’s aviation sector.
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