An attempts by suspected suppliers of illicit drugs to terrorists and bandits in Borno and Yobe to move illicit drugs concealed in engine compartment of a Mercedes Benz jeep and a lady’s travelling bag were also thwarted by operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on stop and search operations in the two states.
In Borno, following weeks of intelligence, NDLEA officers on Saturday 27th September arrested Baba Kaka Ibrahim, 26, at Njimtilo village while driving a Mercedes Benz GLK marked JRE 987 AE towards Damaturu road. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 39, 380 pills of tramadol 225mg and exol-5 stuffed in the engine compartment of the jeep.
Same day in Yobe state, NDLEA operatives intercepted a lady Halima Adamu along Damaturu-Maiduguri road, where 39 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 1.4kg were found concealed inside the casing of her travelling bag. A swift follow up operation led to the arrest of another lady linked to the consignment, Habiba Muhammad, at her Baga road, Maiduguri home.
Two suspects: Aliyu Sani, 27, and Yahaya Tata, 26, were on Saturday 27th September arrested by NDLEA operatives along Zaria – Kano road, Gadar Tamburawa, Kano state with 30,030 pills of tramadol seized from them, while three suspects: Friday Elebechi, 35; Tobin Godgift, 30; and Aya Clement, 30, were arrested by NDLEA operatives at Swali jetty, Yenagoa, Bayelsa on Monday 22nd September after 12kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis and 50 Diana AAA cartridges were recovered from them.
A 45-year-old ex-convict Femi Owoeye (aka Do Good) was on Thursday 25th September arrested by NDLEA officers at his 24 Oke-Igele street, Ikere Ekiti home. He was found in possession of 32kg skunk and 10.5grams of tramadol. He had been convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment for a similar drug trafficking offence in 2016.
In Kaduna, a suspect Adedamola Olayeni, 56, was on Monday 22nd September arrested with 404 blocks of skunk weighing 262.6kg at the Abuja – Kaduna tollgate. The consignment was found in his Honda Pilot jeep marked MKA 499 TT, coming from Osogbo, Osun state and heading to Katsina state.
Another suspect, Zubairu Haruna, 30, was on Wednesday 24th September found with 506grams of methamphetamine at the Gwantu – Fadan Karshi check point, Kaduna while a follow up operation in Gombe state led to the arrest of the actual receiver of the consignment Babangida Mohammed, 25.
No fewer than 85,100 pills of tramadol and other opioids were seized from the trio of Dauda Abubakar; Abdullahi Umar and Ismaila Muhammed at Apapa area of Lagos on Monday 22nd September, while NDLEA operatives in Abuja the following day Tuesday 23rd September arrested Opeyemi Ogundipe, 40, with 2.1kg Colorado along Abaji- Gwagwalada expressway.
In Edo state, NDLEA officers on Tuesday 23rd September destroyed a total of 12,115.6kg skunk on 4.846244 hectares of cannabis plantation at Uromi forest in Esan West LGA where two suspects: Ernest Uche, 44, and Felix Mugorga, 31, were arrested and 345.5kg processed substance was evacuated. At Ogu forest, Igueben LGA, no less than 12,031.245kg of same psychoactive substance was destroyed on 4.438442 hectares of cannabis farm on Wednesday 24th September with 106.1kg processed consignment evacuated. A truck conveying 82 bags of skunk concealed in bags of charcoal with a total weight of 1,025kg was intercepted by NDLEA operatives along Wareke-Auchi road, Etsako West LGA on Friday 26th September while two suspects: Kabiru Abdulahi, 35; and Anas Safiyanu, 20, were apprehended in connection with the seizure.
In like manner, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of RCM Primary School 1, Igboora, Oyo; Champion International Academy, Enugu-Ezike, Enugu; Government Day Secondary School, Babban-Mutum, Katsina; Government Girls Arabic Secondary School, Dakata Kawaji, Nasarawa LGA, Kano; Solomon Primary School, Oko Balogun, Epe, Lagos while the Kogi state command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Ejeh Ankpa, HRH Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed Yakubu in Ankpa.
While commending the officers and men of the SOU, Borno, Yobe, Edo, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, FCT, Ekiti and Bayelsa Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues nationwide to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency. He noted that “the success of the various operations across the country underscores our commitment to safeguarding Nigeria from illicit substances that threaten public health and national security. Every gram of these dangerous drugs we seize and remove from our streets and communities, reinforces our determination to protect our youths, disrupt criminal networks, and strengthen national security.”
