The village head of Gidan Abba in Bodinga Local Goverment Area of Sokoto State, Abubakar Ibrahim, and 10 other suspects have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over illicit drugs.
The 38-year-old village head was arrested by operatives of the anti-narcotic agency in Bodinga Town, last Tuesday, with 3kgs of cannabis sativa and 4,000 tablets of exol-5.
The 11 suspects were arrested in interdiction operations by the NDLEA operatives across seven states in which 991,320 pills of pharmaceutical opioids and 1,251kgs of cannabis and khat as well as 46.637 kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin were recovered.
These were contained in a press release, today, by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives attached to the SAHCO Import Shed, last Wednesday, intercepted a total of 15 cartons containing 802,000 pills of Tramadol imported from Dubai, UAE and Karachi, Pakistan.
10 cartons of Tramadol 225mg came in from Dubai on Ethiopian Airlines flight, four cartons of 100mg and a carton of 225mg Tramadol that came from Karachi, Pakistan on another Ethiopian Airlines flight were also intercepted, same day.
Also on same day, operatives at the SAHCO Export Shed intercepted cans of tomato paste going to the United Kingdom, it was stated in the release.
“A thorough search of the consignment revealed that the tomato cans were used to conceal 36 pellets of cannabis with a gross weight of 21.30 kilograms while a cargo agent, Sodehinde Akinwale, has been arrested in connection with the seizure,” it was added.
Babafemi stated that, two days after, EFCC operatives attached to the NAHCO Import Shed seized five cartons of dried khat leaves, weighing 107.70kgs that came in from Bangkok, Thailand through Dubai on an Emirates Airline flight.
He said a follow up operation on the seizure of 11.90kgs Meth concealed in the heads of dried fish going to Dubai, UAE on 5th August has led to the arrest of a 30-year-old bricklayer, Babatunde Quadri Mamowora, last Thursday Sango Ota Area of Ogun State.
Babafemi informed that the arrest was done in collaboration with men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in the area.
In the same vein, 27-year-old Madu Chukwuemeka Miracle was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu on arrival from Nairobi, Kenya via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last Wednesday.
“A search of his three bags revealed 76 foreign bathing soaps made with cocaine in one of the bags, while another has two plastic bottles containing cream-like liquid, which tested positive to cocaine.
“The cocaine bars weigh 10.650 kilograms while the liquid cocaine weighs 2.496 kilograms, bringing the total weight to 13.146 kilograms,” the NDLEA director of media stated.
Babafemi also revealed that NDLEA operatives on stop and search operation along Okene-Abuja Highway, in Logo State, last Thursday intercepted a Chisco-branded bus coming from Lagos to Abuja.
He said the bus had a consignment of 32.9kgs Meth packaged as tubers of yam; 376 grams of cocaine and 215 grams of heroin, just as the bus driver, Chief Pascal Chigozie Nmaram, was promptly arrested.
“A follow up operation in Abuja, same day, led to the arrest of the recipient of the illicit cargo, Mr. Ikenna Jude Akunne, who confessed that he was detailed to travel with the consignment to Spain the following day, Friday, through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Kogi State Command of the agency have destroyed five hectares of cannabis farms at Agbonkete, Iyaya Camp, Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area.
A suspect, Augustine Agbenyo (34), was arrested with three sacks of both fresh and dried leaves and stems of the illicit substance, Babafemi stated.
EFCC operatives seized 146,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg in a buy and bust operation in Oshodi Area of Lagos State, last Tuesday.
“In the FCT, operatives on patrol along Kwali-Abuja highway on Monday 24th Oct intercepted a truck with 915.8kilograms of cannabis and arrested three suspects: Kabiru Ibrahim (40), Muhammad Muawiyya (30) and Adamu Adamu (24).
“In Adamawa State, operatives arrested two trans-border traffickers, Abdullahi Mamuda (aka Mama) and Aliyu Abdullahi (aka Garga), at Skylight Hotel in Jambutu, Yola North Local Goverment Area.
“A search of their vehicle, an ash coloured Toyota Corolla car with registration number JMT 146 TE (Adamawa), revealed 39, 320 tablets of Tramadol 225mg concealed in different compartments of the doors of the car.
“Preliminary investigation shows the trans-border traffickers took off from Onitsha in Anambra State and travelled to Jimeta, Adamawa State where they lodged in the hotel before heading to Belel, a town along the Nigerian-Cameroon Border where they would repackage the drugs as ordinary consumables and ferry across the river to Garoa in Cameroon.
“Operatives in Ondo State, on Friday, 28 October, stormed a two-bedroom building in Uso Town, where they arrested one Okon Etim (45), with 12 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 207kgs,” Babafemi further revealed.
Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), CON, OFR, has reacted to the strings of arrests and seizures in the past week across Kogi, Lagos, Sokoto, Adamawa, Ondo and the FCT as well as the MMIA and AIIA commands of the agency.
He commended the officers and men of the various commands for their unrelenting commitment to the presidential mandate to clear Nigerian forests and communities of illicit drugs in whatever form.
The chairman/chief executive of the anti-narcotic agency also charged his officers and men to remain steadfast and upright at all times.
