The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has made a significant breakthrough in its fight against drug trafficking, intercepting three trailer loads of opioids worth millions of naira in Lagos state.
The agency arrested several suspects in connection with the seizure, which included 3,450,000 pills and 344,000 bottles of codeine syrup.
According to NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the drugs were loaded into two 40-foot container trucks and another 20-foot truck at the AML bonded terminal, Abule-Osun, near the International Trade Fair complex.
The statement reads: “Not less than 37.5kg of cannabis sativa loaded in a Toyota Camry car was recovered from another suspect, Adegbola Segun, 47, when the car was intercepted at Mile 12 area of Lagos on Monday 6th May.
“Another consignment of opioids consisting of 59,106 pills of tramadol and different quantities of codeine syrup and Rohypnol being taken across the border to Garua, Cameroon was intercepted by NDLEA officers on Monday 6th May along Mubi-Yola road, Adamawa state.
“In Edo state, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 11th May raided the Iguiye forest in Ovia North East LGA, where a total of 11, 636.185kg cannabis was destroyed on three farms measuring 4.654474 hectares, while an additional 188kg of the same psychoactive substance was recovered and a suspect, Itah Nyong was arrested during the overnight operation.
“A 75-year-old grandpa, Jibril Audu was on Friday 10th May arrested with 7.5 kilograms of cannabis at Oke-asa village, Ijero-Ekiti, Ekiti state during a raid operation, while a 70-year-old grandma, Tikwase Nytor was nabbed with 15.6kg of same substance on Thursday 9th May during a raid operation at Achusa and International Market road, Makurdi, Benue state.
The trucks then headed for a large warehouse at Abule-Ado, where NDLEA officers arrested the suspects and recovered the opioid consignments on Thursday, May 9.
Those arrested include the warehouse agent, Cosmas Obiajulu, 51; Ridwan Balogun, 25, and Banjo Tayo, 30, both drivers of two of the trucks. The third driver jumped off to escape arrest.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect, Nwankwo Ejike, in the Coker area of Lagos, recovering 100 liters of codeine syrup from him.
Another 60 liters of the same substance were seized from one Clinton Akinye in the same area on the same day.
The agency also recovered 37.5kg of cannabis sativa from a suspect, Adegbola Segun, 47, in the Mile 12 area of Lagos on Monday, May 6.
In addition, NDLEA officers intercepted a consignment of opioids consisting of 59,106 pills of tramadol and different quantities of codeine syrup and Rohypnol being taken across the border to Garua, Cameroon, on Monday, May 6, along Mubi-Yola road, Adamawa state.
Two suspects linked to the drugs, Abubakar Auwal, 39, and Adamu Abubakar, 25, (a.k.a Bamanga), a trans-border trafficker, were promptly arrested.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the efforts of the Lagos, Edo, Ekiti, Benue, and Adamawa Commands of the Agency for their successful operations and assured that the agency will continue to work with local and international partners to bring the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking to the barest minimum in Nigeria.
