NDLEA Intercepts 4,000kgs Of illicit Drugs, Arrests 12 Suspects In One Week

By Akeem Oduyoye

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted four tons of illicit and controlled drugs in seven states within one week.

The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, made this disclosure in a statement issued on Sunday.

According to Babafemi, the drugs include nitrous oxide popularly known as laughing gas, skunk, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and Tramadol

He also added that the seizures were carried out during interdiction operations in Lagos, Kogi, FCT, Jigawa, Kaduna, Sokoto and Edo states.

The NDLEA spokesman explained that 1,194 cylinders of laughing gas with a total weight of 2,547.2 kilogrammes were intercepted in Toyota Sienna buses on September 22, along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Expressway.

According to him, two suspects; Onyebuchi Ikpozu and Kenneth Igwe, conveying the consignment to Abuja for distribution, have been taken into custody.

He said one of the Toyota Sienna buses marked KTU 582 HV was conveying 99 cartons containing 594 cylinders weighing 1,267.200kgs, while the other bus, registered FKJ 329 YA, was loaded with 100 cartons, 600 cylinders weighing 1,280kgs.

Babafemi further disclosed that a 48-year-old woman, Mrs Ugo Eluba, was also arrested in Abuja in a follow-up operation after 2,400 ampules of pentazocine injection and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5 intercepted in Kogi State were traced to her.

“In the FCT, operatives intercepted 977 kilogrammes of skunk on September 20 in a trailer marked LSR 343 XW, bearing cartons of a seasoning brand.

“The skunk consignment was loaded into the truck at Ipele junction in Ondo State. Also, 959kgs of the substance were meant for distribution in Sokoto State, while the rest was to be dropped off at Gwagwalada.

“Two suspects, Auwal Mohammed and Abdullahi Abubakar, have been arrested in connection with the seizure,” he added.

Babafemi also said two suspects: Mutari Abdulazeez, 31, and Ayuba Madaki, 28, were arrested on September 23 at Zuba, FCT with different quantities of methamphetamine, cannabis and 13,930 pills of Tramadol.

He further said that during a stop and search operation along Kano-Hadejia road in Jigawa, two suspects, Shuaibu Yusif, 27; and Abubakar Hussaini, 20; were arrested on September 23, with 89.1kgs of skunk.

Babafemi said that 6,000 ampules of pentazocine injection were recovered from a suspect, Usman Sidi, 35, on September 18 along Abuja-Forest Road, Kaduna State, while on his way to Bauchi State.

He said that a follow-up operation in Bauchi led to the arrest of the actual owner of the consignment, Dominic Chukwuma, 35, on September 19.

The NDLEA spokesman added that at least 2.58kgs of Diazepam and 36.55kgs of pentazocine injection were recovered in Chukwuma’s house.

“Two other suspects; Inuwa Nuhu and Isiyaku Dahiru Sani, were also arrested same Tuesday in connection with the seizure of 49 blocks of cannabis sativa concealed in a black sack weighing 26kgs in a commercial vehicle coming from Ogere in Ogun State to Kano State.

“A total of 183kgs of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis, were also recovered from the body compartments of a J5 bus intercepted in Lagos on Sept. 20,” he said.

Babafemi disclosed that operatives in Sokoto State, on September 19, arrested one Charles Okeke, 44, with 473 bottles of codeine syrup at Unguwar Kosai area of Sokoto State.

The NDLEA spokesman said that in Edo, 365 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 258kgs were recovered from a Toyota Camry car marked KTU 886 EZ at Igarra, Akoko Edo LGA in Edo State.

Meanwhile, the agency in a massive operation from September 11 to September 13, in a thick forest in Ijesha Isu-Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, destroyed 40 tons of cannabis plants covering 16 hectares of farmland.