Nursing student from Indian varsity arrested in Kano for cocaine trafficking attempt

A 26-year-old Nigerian nursing student, Esther Uzodinma, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano.

Uzodinma, a 200-level student at Noida International University in Uttar Pradesh, India, was allegedly caught attempting to ingest 76 pellets of cocaine before her scheduled flight back to India.

NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi disclosed the details in a statement on Sunday, revealing that Uzodinma was detained at the Royal Park Hotel in Sabon Garin Kano on Thursday night, when she was awaiting delivery of the cocaine, which she planned to smuggle on Qatar Airways flight 1432 to Delhi.

The arrest followed the reported interception of a 31-year-old man, Cosmas Okorie, on the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State.

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Babafemi explained, “Inside his black polythene bag was an audio speaker, which was used to conceal 76 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.340 kilograms. He was on his way to deliver the drugs to Esther in Kano.”

According to the statement, a swift operation by NDLEA operatives led to Uzodinma’s arrest.

In her statement, she reportedly admitted being recruited by a drug cartel in India, which financed her trip to Nigeria during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

She avoided her home state of Imo to keep her activities secret, staying instead at a hotel in Enugu before traveling to Kano.

Uzodinma allegedly confessed she was promised over $5,000 for successfully delivering the illicit drugs in India. Babafemi added that the NDLEA continues its efforts to dismantle such trafficking networks.