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Drug Trafficking: NDLEA arrests traditional ruler, ex-terrorist, 35 others in 12 states

Drug Suspect Photo: NDLEA

*Operatives of Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have nabbed 37 drug trafficking suspects, including a traditional ruler, an ex-Boko Haram fighter, and 35 other in raids across 12 states of the Federation with different quantities of Cannabis Sativa, Methamphetamine, Tramadol, Skuchies, Molly and Codeine cough syrup

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

As part of the agency’s continued offensives against drug lords to protect consumers during the 2023 General Elections, the operatives of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency have nabbed 37 drug trafficking suspects, including a traditional ruler and former Boko Haram fighter in raids across 12 states of the Federation.

The NDLEA officers had swooped on Alayi Madu, a rehabilitated ex-fighter of the Boko Haram terror group, and ‘Baale’ Akinola Adebayo, traditional ruler of Kajola, a border community between Ondo and Edo states of Nigeria, with 35 others over 2.2 tonnes of illicit drugs at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, in Lagos,  and recent in raids across 12 states in the past week.

ConsumerConnect reports the NDLEA disclosed its operatives in the early hours of Friday, March 10, 2023, had stormed Kajola forest in Kajola community, a border town between the two states, where they destroyed three cannabis farms, measuring 39.801546 hectares.

In the process, the anti-narcotics regulatory agency’s officers arrested Adebayo, 35, who claimed to be the owner of the farm at 2:30a.m.

Two other suspects believed to be his workers, including Arikuyeri Abdulrahman, 23, and Habibu Ologun, 25, were also nabbed in a hut near the farms.

Likewise, the NDLEA operatives intercepted 26-year-old Madu, a Boko Haram fighter for 15 years before he surrendered to the Nigerian Military 2021, Thursday, March 9 along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 10 kilograms of skunk.

The suspect reportedly said that he bought the substance in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, and was taking the consignment concealed in a sack to Maiduguri, Borno State, North-East Nigeria.

According to Madu, he is from Banki town, Borno State, and joined the notorious terrorist organisation, in 2006 when he was nine years old.

The former Boko Haram terrorist said he repented and surrendered to the Military 2021, after which he underwent rehabilitation and de-radicalisation processes at Umaru Shehu rehabilitation centre, Maiduguri and Malam Sidi de-radicalisation centre, Gombe, before he was discharged after spending six months.

In his statement, Nadu disclosed he thereafter travelled to Ibadan, where he worked as a commercial motorcyclist (Okada rider) before going into drug trafficking and his eventual arrest along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway Thursday.

How NDLEA intercepts heroin, skunk at MMIA

At the Lagos Airport in Ikeja, operatives of the agency, acting on intelligence, also intercepted a consignment of 11.90 kilograms of heroin and 500grams of skunk concealed in deep freezers.

The consignments were said to be part of a cargo that arrived from South Africa Tuesday, March 7 aboard Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Agency’s sniffer dogs were deployed to locate exactly where the illicit drugs were hidden in the cargo, and instantly, they identified the cartons packed in the deep freezers.

A total of four suspects that played active roles in the movement of the drugs and a truck driver have been arrested so far in connection with the seizure, stated the NDLEA.

These include Dairo Quam, Oluwaseun Ogunmene, Adeleke Abdulrasaq, Bamidele Adewale and Oluwafemi Ogunmeru.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives attached to the Gate C departure hall of the MMIA Thursday as well intercepted Aigbedion Philomena, an air traveller heading for Italy via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

When Aigbedion’s bags containing body cream, hair attachments, drinks, and some food items were searched, a total of 1.20kg tramadol capsules concealed inside gift wrapping sheet and covered with old daily newspapers were discovered.

Also, at the Idiroko land border in Ogun State, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence last Thursday, intercepted a commercial Toyota Camry Salon Car with reg. number JJJ 756 HB (Lagos) along Ilase-Akoko Road, Idiroko, with 34 compressed jumbo size wraps of imported skunk weighing 17kg and concealed in two cooking gas cylinders.

The operatives nabbed two suspects in the car, Benjamin Ajose, 48, and Oluwatobiloba Ajayi, 37.

In Akwa Ibom State, Mrs. Hope Iniobong David, 42, was arrested with bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,112kg (1.1 tons) in her house at Ediene Abak in Abak LGA, while operatives in Kogi State Thursday, recovered 25 cartons, containing 50,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 200kg in a Toyota Hiace bus marked LAM 652 LG, Kogi, travelling from Lagos to Abuja.

In Ogun State also, the NDLEA operatives arrested a female drug dealer, Bola Egbebi, in Ota Local Government Area, with different quantities of Cannabis Sativa, Methamphetamine, Tramadol 225, Skuchies, Molly and Codeine cough syrup, while in Gombe state, another female drug dealer, Fatima Hassan (a.k.a Boss) was arrested  Saturday, March 11, in her house at New Mile 3 area of Akko LGA with three and half blocks of skunk weighing 3.245kg.

Two other female drug dealers: Folake Ladipo and Adeola Babatunde were arrested with 49.5kg skunk Friday, March 10, in Mushin area of Lagos state.

Similarly, in Kwara, operatives on patrol along along Ilorin-Jebba highway Tuesday, March 7 arrested two suspects: Ismaila Saidu and Dahiru Abdullahi with 50 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 578 kilograms, while in the FCT Abuja, 15 suspects were transferred by the Nigerian Army with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 384.3kg.

A 56-year-old suspect, Shinayemà Kelenku was arrested at Tse-kelenku village, Logo LGA, Benue with 36.7kg skunk, while in Delta State, operatives intercepted a suspect, Chimeze Ndukaire, 56, conveying psychotropic substances worth over N30 million in a white Toyota Hiace bus with registration number Lagos FST 279 XS coming from Onitsha to Warri.

The vehicle was intercepted Friday at G.S.M junction, Asaba, in Delta State, based on a tip-off.

Recovered from the bus include 267.3 litres of codeine (2,673 bottles); 25,110 pills of tramadol and other opioids.

In Kano State, NDLEA operatives Saturday, March 11, 2023, raided the Sabon-Gari area of Kano where they arrested a suspect, Chukwuebuka Christopher and recovered from him 7,740 bottles of Codeine based syrup, measuring 774 litres, concealed inside 43 sacks of garlic.

Commendation for NDLEA operatives

Meanwhile, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd.), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NDLEA, has applauded the officers, men and women of the MMIA, Idiroko, Edo, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Kogi, Ogun, Gombe, Lagos, Kwara, FCT, Benue, Delta and Kano Commands of the Agency for their diligence and commitment to work.

Marwa urged them and their compatriots across other NDLEA Commands to sustain the offensives against drug traffickers in the West African country.

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