A 60-year-old grandma and a pregnant woman were among others arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) across five states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in the past week.
The suspects, including the grandma were arrested during interdiction operations in which 5,527.15 kilograms of methamphetamine and cannabis sativa, as well as 132,090 tablets of tramadol and 2,000 bottles of codeine were recovered from them.
The grandma, Mrs. Ibinosun Sandra Esther, was arrested in Ibadan, Oyo State in a follow up operation following the seizure of 5.5kg loud variant of cannabis imported into the country from South Africa.
The consignment, which the grandma claimed was sent to her by her daughter was concealed in two giant speakers as part of a consolidated cargo that arrived the NAHCO Import Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos, on board an Airpeace Airline flight.
“In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives, on Saturday, 3 December, arrested a 29-year-old pregnant woman, Kate Ibinabo, with 34.4kgs cannabis sativa in Okrika area of the state.
The arrest of the grandma, along with the pregnant woman and others were contained in a press release by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), CON, OFR, however directed that the pregnant woman, who is in her month month of pregnancy, be granted administrative bail pending when she is delivered of her baby and thereafter return for her prosecution.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives also, on Saturday, 26 November, intercepted 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside custard tins packed among cosmetics and foodstuffs going to Brazil via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight.
“A cargo agent, Salako Omolara Fausat, who brought the bag containing the illicit drug to the airport and an intending passenger to Brazil, Anyanwu Christian, who was to travel with the consignment were promptly arrested,” Babafemi stated.
Another attempt by a freight agent, Adebisi Aina Hafsat, to export 3,000 tablets of tramadol concealed in motor spare parts to Banjul, Gambia through the NAHCO export shed was equally thwarted by operatives who seized the consignment and arrested her on Monday, 28 November.
“A follow up operation to Ebute-Meta area of Lagos the following day, Tuesday, 29 November, led to the arrest of the actual owner, Afam Chibuke Stanley, who is a spare parts seller.
“This was followed by the seizure of 100,000 tablets of Royal brand of Tramadol 200mg with a gross weight of 68.90 kilograms imported from Karachi, Pakistan on Ethiopian Airlines at the SAHCO import shed.
“In Abuja, operatives stormed the warehouse of a notorious drug lord and an ex-convict, Ibrahim Momoh, alias Ibrahim Bendel, who escaped from prison custody to return to his criminal trade and recovered 81 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 1,278kgs.
“Though the fleeing drug dealer is still at large and is wanted by the agency, his warehouse keeper, 55-year-old Ghanaian, Richard Forson Gordon, was arrested.
“Ibrahim Momoh was first arrested on 27 November, 2014 with the same substance weighing 385.1kgs, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on 22nd of April, 2020 but escaped from jail after three months.
“Meanwhile, no fewer than 2,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were seized in a commercial bus by operatives on Friday, 2 December along Lokoja – Abuja expressway.
“In Ondo State, 241 bags of the psychoactive substance with a gross weight of 3,133kg were recovered from a building at Ilale Cashew, Ehinogbe, Owo, on Tuesday, 29 November.
“At least, 507.9kgs of cannabis were also seized during a raid at the hideout of a fleeing drug dealer in Mushin area of Lagos State on Thursday, 1 December.
“In Cross River, 53 jumbo bags of C/S weighing 567.05kgs were seized from three suspects: Bassey Boniface Eyibio (38); Effiong Akiba Etim (30) and Ngbong Raymond, 45 at Mpara Junction, Odukpani Local Government Area on Thursday, 1 December, while conveying the consignment in a bus marked CKK 74 AA.
“Operatives equally arrested another suspect, Ali Mohammed, along Potiskum- Damaturu Road after they found 29,090 tablets of tramadol in his personal Honda car marked ABC 914 RW coming from Gombe to Damaturu, Yobe State,” Babafemi added in the release.
Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig.Gen. Marwa, has commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Rivers, Ondo, Lagos, Cross River, Oyo and Yobe commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures.
He also charged the officers and men of the commands and their counterparts across other formations to continue to step up their offensives against drug cartels.
