Insurgents’ drug supplier arrested as NDLEA intercepts 7.6 tons of illicit drugs in Borno, Nasarawa

A total of twenty-four (24) suspected drug traffickers and dealers including a 42-year-old man taking thousands of concealed opioid pills to insurgents’ enclave in Banki area of Borno state, a six-month-pregnant lady, a mother of three children and three other women have been arrested in major interdiction operations by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, leading to the seizure of over 7,609 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs in eight states.

The bulk of the seizures was made in Nasarawa state where NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Sunday 4th February intercepted a truck marked Lagos JJJ 64 YC conveying 367 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing 4,037 kilograms from Akure, Ondo state to be delivered at Shabu area of Lafia, the state capital. Three suspects: Shuaibu Yahaya Liman, 35; Monday Audu, 33, and Linus Samuel, 42 have been arrested in connection with the seizure.

The following day Monday 5th February, operatives in Abuja, FCT arrested the duo of Jibrin Shuaibu, 23, and Prosper Innih, 17, with 169 bags and 80 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 1,961.5kgs concealed in a truck with registration number Ogun WDE 557 XC. The truck was intercepted during a stop and search operation along Abaji - Abuja highway on their way from Uzeba to Dei-Dei, FCT.

In another operation by NDLEA operatives in Abuja on Tuesday 6th February, a suspect, Abdulhameed Dauda, 27, was arrested with 89kgs of the same psychoactive substance loaded into his truck in Owo, Ondo state to be delivered at Gwagwalada in FCT. On the same day, operatives also intercepted another driver, Hassan Ade, 30, transporting 696.5kgs of the same substance loaded in Idoani, Ondo state to be delivered at Gwagwalada and Dei-Dei in FCT. A follow up operation led to the arrest of a mother of three children, Mrs. Joy Chukwuka, 42, linked with the consignment.

In Ondo state, apart from the seizure of 633.5kgs of cannabis at Eleyere, Ogbese in Akure North LGA, NDLEA operatives also recovered 59 jumbo bags of same substance loaded in a truck marked GAD 287 XA heading to Northern part of the country. Detergents were sprayed on the cannabis bags ostensibly to suppress the odour of the psychoactive weed, while 192 packs of table water were loaded on top to conceal the illicit consignment.

Not less than 187kgs of same substance were seized by operatives at Sapele road, Benin, Edo state while in Kano, NDLEA officers on Monday 5th February arrested 58-year-old Bashir Attahir in Bachirawa area of the state with 216,000 pills of tramadol 250mg. Another suspect, Ejike Moses Nmenme, 47, was nabbed the following day Tuesday 6th Feb with 25,190 capsules of tramadol and different quantities of rohypnol and codeine syrup along Emir road, Sabon Gari area of the city while the duo of Yusuf Abdullahi Musa, 35, and Yusuf Musa, 28, were nabbed at Gadar Tamburawa, with 1,000 ampoules of tramadol injection on Thursday 8th February.

In Borno state, a 42-year-old suspected supplier of illicit drugs to insurgents in Banki, a border region between Nigeria and Cameroon, Ahmad Mohammed was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Friday 9th February at Bama check point. When his luggage was searched 20,000 capsules of tramadol were recovered from him while on his way to deliver the opioid consignment in the border town.

A six-month pregnant woman, Amarachi Akaolisa, 25, and another lady, Ifeoma Iheanyi, 21, were among six suspects arrested for dealing in illicit substances in Oraifite and Umuni-Evili, Aguleri, Anambra state. Others nabbed include: Okwuchukwu Chukwuka; Onyedika Ngwu; Ekene Hyginus and Nzomiwu Ikechukwu. Recovered from them were over 6 kilograms of cannabis, tramadol, diazepam and codeine syrup in raids conducted NDLEA operatives between Tuesday 6th and Thursday 8th Feb in parts of the state.

In Lagos, two ladies: Boluwatife Adebayo and Omolade Fola Adebayo were among suspects arrested during raids in parts of the state on Saturday 10th February. While Ogah Sunday Adole and Boluwatife Adebayo were arrested at Agidingbi, Ikeja, in connection with 220grams of cannabis, 10.6 litres of codeine syrup, and other psychotropic substances, Omolade Fola Adebayo was nabbed at Ijesha with various quantities of cannabis, codeine syrup, rohypnol and molly.

The Commands across the country balanced their drug supply reduction operations with War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaigns to schools, markets, worship centres and communities. Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture on Drug Use and Mental Health for students and staff of Oba Akinbiyi High School, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo state; Owode Senior Secondary School, Owode Yewa, Ogun state; Federal Science and Technical College, Awka, Anambra state; Yusad Secondary School, Gashua, Yobe state; and African Church Grammar School, Ilesa, Osun state as well as WADA advocacy visit to HRM Ochi'Idoma, Agaba Idu, Dr. Elaigwu Odogbo Obagaji John at his palace in Otukpo, Benue state and the Emir of Rano, HRH Amb. Muhammed Kabiru Inuwa in Kano state.

While commending the efforts of the Nasarawa, FCT, Ondo, Kano, Borno, Edo, Anambra and Lagos Commands of the Agency for jobs well done in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) urged them and their compatriots across the country to always strive to surpass past feats in their drug supply and drug demand reduction efforts.

Femi Babafemi

Director, Media & Advocacy

NDLEA Headquarters Abuja

Sunday 11th February 2024