The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it arrested a 64-year-old former Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Idanre Police station, Ondo State, Mr Monday George, for drug trafficking.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi, who made this known in a statement yesterday, in Abuja, said the suspect was dismissed from the service for drug offenses.
Babafemi said the suspect was arrested in Niger State, with an accomplice, Emmanuel Eniola, 40, with 280 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 168kg. “They were arrested on Sunday, January 30 in Mokwa, Niger State, after their Toyota Avalon car marked EKY 429 BZ (Lagos) was intercepted, loaded with the substance at Idanre, and heading to Kanji, Borgu area of the state,” he said.
In another development, Babafemi said attempts by some traffickers to export different quantities of methamphetamine to Brazil and the UK were also scuttled by narcotic officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
He said the first bid was made on Friday January 28 through the Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc (SAHCO) export shed, where operatives intercepted 0.80kg of meth concealed in a hair relaxer plastic container bound for the United Kingdom.
“A suspect, Akuta Lucy, who presented the consignment for search, had been arrested for further investigation. The second attempt was on Friday, February 4 during the outward clearance of passengers at Gate ‘C’ Departure Hall of the airport. This was when an intending male passenger on Ethiopian Airlines heading to Brazil, Onyeaghala Chidi, was intercepted with 500gms of meth concealed inside three plastic hair relaxer containers,” he said.
In a related development, Babafemi said a male passenger, Iliyasu Yushau, from Kampala, Uganda via Nairobi, Kenya, was also arrested by NDLEA operatives with 268 debit cards at the airport. He said the debit cards, belonging to Access Bank, GTBank, and Zenith Bank were seized during the inward clearance of the passengers on the flight on Sunday, January 30.
Meanwhile, “In Edo State, operatives on Friday, February 4 stormed the Igbogiri forest, Orhionwon LGA and destroyed four dry season Cannabis farms measuring 3.067718 hectares.
“This followed the evacuation of 20 bags of compressed blocks of Cannabis weighing 269.5kg stored in a bush at Uzebba, Owan West LG, the previous day. Also arrested was one Afadama James, 42, with 348kg cannabis at Owan, Ovia Northeast LGA on Wednesday, February 2,” he said.
Similarly, the NDLEA spokesperson said operatives in Delta State arrested a 21-year-old student of Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Kate Osagie, with over 17.6gms designer drugs she ordered from Onitsha, Anambra state.
Babafemi added that NDLEA operatives in Borno state on Thursday, February 3 also nabbed one Fatima Musa, 30, for attempting to smuggle pentazocine injections into the camp of surrendered insurgents.
“In Plateau State, operatives intercepted a truck marked LSD857XB coming from Ekpoma, Edo state, with 885 blocks of cannabis Sativa that weighed 736kg. An N400,000 bribe paid to the arresting officers has also been warehoused as part of exhibits for prosecution.
“Two suspects; Ebunoluwa Babalola, 40, and Sulyman Sheu, 30, were arrested at Ganmo, Ilorin, Kwara state, with 90kg of Cannabis,” he said.
In the same vein, 2kg of Methamphetamine being brought to Abuja by a 29-year-old Charity Omuche from Anambra state, was equally intercepted on Friday, February 4, by operatives at Gwagwalada area of the FCT.
Babafemi said officers of the Kaduna Command of the agency also arrested a suspect, Buhari Umar, with 300 shisha pens and 999 portions of synthetic cannabinoids with a gross weight of 9.690kg,” he said.
Edo completes training on e-governance for Permanent Secretaries, as Obaseki urges collaboration
He quoted the NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, as commending the officers and men of the Lagos Airport; Niger; Edo; Borno; Plateau; Kwara; FCT; and Delta Commands for the successful interdiction operations.
He said such operations led to the seizure of thousands of kilograms of illicit drugs from across the country in the past week, as he charged the operatives and their compatriots in other commands to be alive to their responsibilities.
In another development, the NDLEA has seized over 22,160 kilograms of Codeine syrup, Methamphetamine and Skunk at Apapa seaport and a notorious drug den at Akala, Mushin, Lagos State.
According to Babafemi, the seizures were made in two major operations by the operatives of the agency in the state, adding that 14,080kg codeine syrup (8,080 litres) and 4,352.43kg cold caps used to conceal the codeine in a 40ft container imported from India, were intercepted on February 2, 2022, at Apapa Port.
