The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, ( NDLEA), have continued to record successes as they intensify the fight against illicit drug trade and trafficking in Nigeria.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that on Friday, 26th April, 2024, the NDLEA officers at the Gate C departure hall of the Lagos AIrport arrested a passenger, Yahaya Danjuma Oturah, while attempting to export 4,000 pills of tramadol 225mg to Malpensa, Italy on an Ethiopian Airline flight.
This was disclosed by Mr. Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy. Babafemi explained that the psychoactive substance was found concealed in women’s wears and granulated melon packed in the suspect’s backpack and another bag containing food items.
He stated that the suspect, Oturah, who is a frequent flyer, in his statement, confessed he was hired to courier the drug for 700 Euros on successful delivery of the consignment in Italy.
Earlier, in Bayelsa, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 24th April arrested 28-year-old Jennifer Iliya at the Amarata area of Yenagoa for producing and distributing cakes laced with illicit drugs, especially cannabis sativa. At the time of her arrest, a substantial number of the drugged cakes weighing 1.5kg were recovered from her.
In a similar way, a 20-year old hair stylist, Josephine Odunu and a dispatch rider, Edesemi Ikporo, 30, were arrested on Sunday 10th March, 2024, by NDLEA operatives in Yenagoa.
Mr. Babafemi stated also that the two suspects: Joseph Dadik, 47, and Bensha Yari, 32, were arrested with 24,180 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 135.5 kilograms at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, while Adamu Umar, 18, was nabbed with 20.700kg cannabis when his house in Shuware area of Mubi, Adamawa state was raided on Friday 26th April.
No less than 310.7kg cannabis was recovered on Thursday 25th April when NDLEA operatives raided parts of Mushin in Lagos State. While 300kg was seized at Olatunji Street, Mushin, 10.7kg of the same substance was retrieved from two suspects: Tijani Wasiu and Suleiman Aisha at Anifowose, Mushin.
While Stanley Chukwudi, 43, was arrested with 5,900 ampoules of pentazocine injection at Sabon Gari area of Kano State on Thursday 25th April, a couple, Fredrick Odion, 53, and Gladys Odion, 52, were nabbed with 50kg cannabis at Iruekpen, Esan west LGA, Edo state by NDLEA officers on Wednesday 24th April.
Reacting to the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services of the Agency for the diligent prosecution of Uwazuoke and Agbo cases.
He said the success rate of cases prosecuted by the agency has shown that there’s no escape route for those involved in the illicit trade of drug trafficking.
Marwa equally applauded those of MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Edo, Adamawa, and Bayelsa Commands as well as their counterparts in all the Commands across the country for intensifying their drug supply and drug demand reduction activities.