A rehabilitated ex-fighter of the Boko Haram terror group, Alayi Madu, and the traditional ruler of Kajola, a border community between Ondo and Edo states, Baale Akinola Adebayo, have been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The duo are among 37 persons arrested over 2.2 tons of illicit drugs seized by NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos and in raids across 12 states in the past week.
This was as the anti-narcotics agency intercepted heroin, skunk in deep freezers, cooking gas cylinders at the Lagos Airport and Idiroko and also destroyed 39.8 hectares of cannabis farms in Edo and Ondo states.
The disclosures were as contained in a press release issued today by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The traditional ruler, he stated, was arrested, last Friday, at Kajola Forest in Kajola Community, a border town between Edo and Ondo states, being part of ongoing operations to mop up illicit drugs across the country ahead of the next round of elections.
“NDLEA officers, in the early hours of Friday, 10 March, stormed Kajola Forest in Kajola Community, a border town between Edo and Ondo state, where they destroyed three cannabis farms measuring 39.801546 hectares.
“The owner of the farms, who claims to be the Ba’ale of Kajola, Akinola Adebayo (35), was arrested on the farm at 2:30am, while two other suspects believed to be his workers -Arikuyeri Abdulrahman (23) and Habibu Ologun (25), were also nabbed in a hut near the farms,” Babafemi stated.
Similarly, 26-year-old Alayi Madu, who was a Boko Haram fighter for 15 years before surrendering to the Nigerian military in 2021, was intercepted by NDLEA operatives, last Thursday.
He was reportedly caught along Abuja-Kaduna Express Road with 10 kilograms of skunk, concealed in a sack and which he said he bought in Ibadan, Oyo State and was taking to Maiduguri, Borno State.
“In his statement, Madu said he is from Banki Town, Borno State and joined the notorious terrorist organisation, in 2006 when he was nine years old.
“He said he repented and surrendered to the military in 2021, after which he underwent rehabilitation and de-radicalisation processes at Umaru Shehu Rehabilitation Centre, Maiduguri and Malam Sidi De-radicalization Centre, Gombe before he was discharged after spending six months.
“Thereafter, he traveled to Ibadan, Oyo State where he worked as commercial motorcycle rider (Okada rider) before going into drug trafficking and his eventual arrest along Abuja-Kaduna Express Road,” it was stated in the release.
At the Lagos Airport, Ikeja, NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, intercepted a consignment of 11.90 kilograms of heroin and 500grams of skunk.
The hard drugs were concealed in deep freezers, which were part of a cargo that arrived from South Africa on Tuesday, 7 March onboard Ethiopian Airline, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“The agency’s sniffer dogs were deployed to locate where the illicit drugs were hidden in the cargo and, in no time, they identified the cartons packed in the deep freezers.
“A total of four suspects that played active roles in the movement of the drugs and a truck driver have been arrested so far in connection with the seizure.
“They include: Dairo Quam; Oluwaseun Ogunmene; Adeleke Abdulrasaq; Bamidele Adewale and Oluwafemi Ogunmeru,” Babafemi added.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives attached to the Gate C departure hall of the MMIA, last on Thursday, intercepted a passenger, Aigbedion Philomena heading to Italy via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airline flight.
“When her bags, containing body cream, hair attachments, drinks and some food items, were searched, a total of 1.20kg tramadol capsules, concealed inside gift wrapping sheet and covered with old daily newspapers, were discovered,” it was stated.
At the Idiroko Land Border, NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, last Thursday, intercepted a commercial Toyota Camry Salon Car with reg. number JJJ 756 HB (Lagos) along Ilase-Akoko Road, Idiroko.
Found on them were 34 compressed jumbo size wraps of imported skunk weighing 17kg and concealed in two cooking gas cylinders.
Two suspects found in the car, Benjamin Ajose (48) and Oluwatobiloba Ajayi (37), were arrested.
In Akwa Ibom State, Mrs. Hope Iniobong David (42), was arrested with bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,112kg (1.1 tons) in her house at Ediene Abak in Abak Local Government Area.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives in Kogi State, on Thursday, recovered 25 cartons, containing 50,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 200kg in a Toyota Hiace bus marked LAM 652 LG, Kogi, travelling from Lagos to Abuja.
Also, in Ogun State, operatives arrested a female drug dealer, Bola Egbebi, in Ota Local Government Area.
Reportedly found on her were different quantities of Cannabis Sativa, Methamphetamine, Tramadol 225, Skuchies, Molly and Codeine cough syrup.
In Gombe State, another female drug dealer, Fatima Hassan (a.k.a Boss), was arrested on Saturday in her house at New Mile 3 area of Akko Local Govnment Aea with three and half blocks of skunk weighing 3.245kg.
Two other female drug dealers -Folake Ladipo and Adeola Babatunde, were arrested with 49.5kg skunk on Friday, 10 March in Mushin area of Lagos State.
In Kwara State, operatives on patrol along along Ilorin-Jebba highway, on Tuesday 7 March, garrested two suspects: Ismaila Saidu and Dahiru Abdullahi with 50 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 578 kilograms.
Also in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, 15 suspects were transferred by the Nigerian Army with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 384.3kg.
A 56-year-old suspect, Shinayemà Kelenku was arrested at Tse-kelenku village, Logo Local Government Area, Benue State with 36.7kg skunk.
In Delta State, operatives intercepted a suspect, Chimeze Ndukaire (56), conveying psychotropic substances worth over N30 million in a white Toyota Hiace bus with registration number Lagos FST 279 XS coming from Onitsha to Warri.
“The vehicle was intercepted on Friday, 10 March at G.S.M Junction, Asaba, based on a tip-off.
“Recovered from the bus include 267.3 litres of codeine (2,673 bottles); 25,110 pills of tramadol and other opioids,” Babafemi stated.
In Kano State, NDLEA operatives, on Saturday, raided the Sabon-gari area of Kano where they arrested a suspect, Chukwuebuka Christopher and recovered from him 7,740 bottles of Codeine based syrup, measuring 774 litres, concealed inside 43 sacks of garlic.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers, men and women of MMIA, FCT, Idiroko, Edo, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Kogi, Ogun, Gombe, Lagos, Kwara, Benue, Delta and Kano commands of the agency for their diligence and commitment to work.
He however charged them and their compatriots across other commands not to rest on their oars, Babafemi added in the press release.
