By Ibironke Ariyo
The Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have seized tons of illicit drugs in Lagos, FCT, Taraba, Kwara, Plateau, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, and Ondo states respectively.
A statement by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi yesterday in Abuja, said the NDLEA operatives in Apapa seaport Lagos on November 6 intercepted 31,750,000 pills of 240mg Voltron, a controlled opioid, adding that the drugs were packaged and concealed in a container imported from India, as diclofenac sodium 100mg tablets.
He also said the discovery was made during a joint examination of the container with men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and other security agencies.
In the same vein, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), import shed Ikeja Lagos, the NDLEA officers on November 5 intercepted a 700grams consignment of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis.
Babafemi said a software engineer, Olu Marshal, who showed up to collect the package was promptly arrested and a follow up search of his home in Lekki led to the recovery of some drug paraphernalia, including a cannabis crusher.
Also, an attempt by another suspect, Ogbonna Orji to send 32.50kg bottles of codeine syrup and 5.70kg cannabis to London, UK, concealed in tiger nuts cargo through the export shed of the Lagos airport was frustrated by NDLEA operatives on Friday, November 8. Babafemi said a follow up operation led to the arrest of Orji at his warehouse in Ajao estate, Lagos.
Meanwhile, in Kwara State, no less than 162,800 pills of opioids were seized by NDLEA operatives from four suspects during interdiction operations in parts of the state.
The NDLEA spokesman said 112,200 tablets of tramadol were recovered from Wahab Saliu and 18,900 tablets of the same opioid were recovered from Dalha Musa both at Eiyenkorin area of Ilorin, Kwara State.
Babafemi said that 29,000 pills of tramadol, 200 ampoules of diazepam and 99 bottles of codeine syrup were seized from Ahmed Isiaka and 2,500 tabs of tramadol were also seized from Ahmed Garba.
“Both consignments were seized at Bode Saadu in Moro local government area of the state on Friday November 8.
In another development, in Abuja, NDLEA operatives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on November 7 intercepted a truck along Abaji- Kwali road with 755.50kg cannabis concealed under empty cartons of noodles.
Babafemi said the truck driver, Lukman Rasheed, 41, claimed that bags of the psychoactive substance were loaded into the trailer in Ogbese, Ondo State after departing Lagos with only empty cartons of noodles.
“A suspect, Yusuf Abubakar, 43, was arrested by operatives on Monday November 4 at Ibi, Taraba State while conveying to Kano 361 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 156.95kg in a commercial bus marked WKR 772 XA.
“Not less than 245 blocks of the same substance with a total weight of 121kg were recovered by NDLEA officers on patrol along Wukari – Ibi road on Thursday November 7.
Also, two suspects: Hamza Yakubu, 30, and Abdulra’uf Danjuma, 23, were on November 6 arrested at Gidan Manjagab area of Jos, Plateau state with 113 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 141kg.
The NDLEA spokesman also said that a Chadian, Hassan Ali, 31, was nabbed on November 5 at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria-Kano road, Kano, with 3,000 pills of tramadol 225mg.
“A suspect Ibrahim Adamu was arrested at Jere area of Kaduna state with 35 sacks of cannabis sativa weighing 338.8 kilogrammes.
“NDLEA operatives in Edo state on November 8 recovered 1,078kg cannabis at Okhuokhuo – Isi forest and 228kg of same substance at Sabo- Auchi,” he added.
In another development, in Ondo state, four suspects: Friday Daniel, Patrick Felix, Samuel Agada and Igwe Chukwuka were arrested at Emure Ile, with 672kg cannabis sativa.
Babafemi said 513kg of the same substance was seized at Gbodo camp, Ikun Akoko and a total of 4, 908kg cannabis recovered from a suspect Musibau Kosama at Alabi Yellow, Ijoka area of Akure on November 6.
Also, the NDLEA said it has smashed two major cross-border drug trafficking syndicates with cocaine and opioids worth billions of naira recovered from them.
According to Babafemi, six leaders of the cartels were arrested in different parts of the country, adding that the arrest came after months of intelligence gathering and painstaking surveillance by the operatives of the NDLEA.
He said the syndicates comprised Nigerians based in Mubi, Adamawa State; Onitsha, Anambra State, and Lagos state as well as Cameroonians.
He added that they all came under NDLEA radar after they were suspected of being major suppliers of drugs to terror groups operating in Nigeria and Cameroon.
He named their so far arrested as Ibrahim Bawuro, Najib Ibrahim, Ibrahim Umar, Nelson Udechukwu, Ezeh Amaechi, and Adejumo Ishola.
According to him, intelligence gathered revealed that some psychoactive substances including tramadol were often sourced by Ibrahim Bawuro and Ibrahim Najib from a notorious drug dealer in Onitsha, Nelson Udechukwu.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA commands nationwide, he said, have continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities.
Its Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), he said, has applauded the personnel and their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WADA sensitisation lectures and advocacy messages to every part of their areas of responsibility.
Navy impounds three wooden boats laden with stolen crude oil, arrest suspects
Operatives of the Nigerian Navy’s Operation Delta Sanity have intercepted and impounded three wooden boats laden with large amounts of stolen crude oil. This was disclosed in a statement on its verified Facebook page yesterday.
The statement read: “Operation DELTA SANITY: On Friday, 8 November 2024, Forward Operating Base FORMOSO intercepted and impounded three wooden boats laden with large amounts of stolen crude oil and illegally refined AGO in Igbomotoro, Southern Ijaw LGA, Bayelsa State.
“Consequently, two female suspects were apprehended in the process and have been handed over to the Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps.”
