By Chioma Iruke
Nigeria’s anti-narcotics unit, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has declared an alleged drug baron, Tony Chidi Onwurolu wanted.
This was even as the Agency also announced the release from their custody, an Uber driver arrested last month.
According to the NDLEA Spokesman Femi Babafemi, Mr Onwurolu was declared wanted after operatives of the agency intercepted a consignment of 26.150kilograms of heroin with a street value of over N6.5billion at the SAHCO shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.
“The illicit drug had arrived Lagos in 25 parcels from South Africa through an Airpeace Airline flight on 30th June, 2021 and was detained for screening following reasonable suspicion of the content of the consignment.
“A follow up operation was subsequently carried out the following day, 1st July when narcotic officers of the MMIA command trailed the driver and a clearing agent that were assigned to deliver the consignment to the house of a baron, Tony Chidi Onwurolu at No. 132 Lateef Adegboyega Street, off Ago palace way by Grandmate bus stop Okota, Lagos,” he said.
Femi further noted that although Onwurolu “fled his home before the arrival of the team of operatives who stormed his residence. They were however able to search his home and recovered a number of documents to establish his true identity”.
Thus, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) directed that Onwurolu be declared wanted immediately and his details submitted to Interpol for tracking across the world.
NDLEA also announced that an Uber driver, Lawal Tunde Rasheed, arrested on June 8 in connection with the seizure of a cocaine consignment has been let off the hook, following his cooperation that led to the arrest of the real owner of the drug, Mr. Egbo Emmanuel Maduka, who in his statement accepted ownership of the consignment and absolved Lawal of any complicity.
