The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arresred a drug kingpin, identified as Ngene Emmanuel Onyedikachi, who was the recruiter of fake couple smugglers arrested in Lagos on August 1, 2023.
This arrest was announced in a statement made available on the agency’s website and signed by its Director, Media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.
Recall, it was reported that fake couples were arrested in August, and they were identified as Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi and Ilonzeh Roseline Nonyelum.
The fake couples were arrested by men of the NDLEA for ingesting 184 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.322 kilograms with 100grams of the drug also concealed in the woman’s vagina.
According to the statement, Onyedikachi was arrested at his Akoka, Yaba residence by operatives of the NDLEA on Friday.
Babafemi said, “NDLEA operatives on Friday 25th August succeeded in arresting a drug kingpin, Ngene Emmanuel Onyedikachi, who recruited the fake couple, Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi and Ilonzeh Roseline Nonyelum arrested for ingesting 1.822kg and 1.50kg of Cocaine respectively at the Lagos airport on 1st August while on their way to India. The kingpin was picked at his residence located at 28 Afolabi Brown Street, Akoka, Yaba, after intensive surveillance that lasted 25 days.”
He said that the suspect confessed that the fake couple were introduced to him by another member of his syndicate.
Onyedikachi stated that he had fled India for Nigeria in 2022 after his identity was blown to the Indian authorities.
“During his interview, Onyedikachi confessed that the two suspects: Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi and Ilonzeh Roseline Nonyelum were introduced to him by another member of his syndicate, whom he claimed he met at Zion Church in the Cele area of Lagos. He explained that the drug was sourced from Guinea Conakry.
“The suspect revealed that when he got information about the arrest of the fake couple, he threw away his old mobile phone along with the SIM cards to avoid being traced, adding that he became relaxed and refused to leave his house because the two couriers do not know his house since they have only met twice at different locations.
“He said he was living in India before he returned to Nigeria in 2022 after the Indian authorities discovered that he was using Ivory Coast International passport. A blue Acura Legend car was part of items recovered from his home during his arrest”, the statement read.
