By Kingsley Omonobi
ABUJA — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted more than 1.3 million pills and capsules of tramadol and other opioids, as well as about 6,000kg of cannabis, in a series of operations across eight states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The agency said the seizures, including 603.75kg of Canadian Loud and other illicit drugs, had a combined street value of more than N3.4 billion.
The operations were carried out in Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe and Imo states, as well as the FCT.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the operations also led to the arrest of a suspected drug trafficker who allegedly impersonated a senior police officer to evade scrutiny at checkpoints.
According to him, NDLEA operatives arrested 49-year-old Innocent Ekpe on Wednesday, September 16, along the Benin-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba, Delta State, with 292.48kg of skunk concealed in a silver Toyota Sienna bus.
Babafemi said investigation revealed that Ekpe allegedly paraded himself as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, using a forged police identification card to avoid scrutiny while transporting illicit drugs across states.
He said a 39-year-old accomplice, Nduka Joseph, was also arrested.
In Edo State, operatives acting on intelligence raided an auto-repair workshop along Agbor Road, Benin City, where they arrested 45-year-old Matthew Ossai.
The agency said 48kg of Canadian Loud and 152 grammes of methamphetamine were recovered from the workshop, which allegedly served as a storage facility for illicit drugs.
At the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, monitored a 40-foot container shipped from Montreal, Canada, which arrived on September 12.
Babafemi said a joint physical examination of the container with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on September 16 led to the discovery of 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 603.75kg.
The consignment, valued at N1.811 billion, was concealed in 31 black jumbo bags loaded inside two Toyota Sienna vehicles in the container.
In Niger State, three young men were arrested on Tuesday, September 15, along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway at Chachi, Tafa Local Government Area.
The suspects, identified as Bashir Usman, 20; Abubakar Nuhu, 18; and Abdulrahman Abdulwahab, 18, were allegedly found with two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles, a magazine, a locally made pistol with a magazine and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed in a black travel bag.
Two other suspects, Aminu Isyaku, 23, and Jamilu Habibu, 25, were arrested on Friday, September 18, along the Abaji-Abuja Highway.
Babafemi said NDLEA operatives recovered more than 1.1 million assorted tramadol tablets and capsules, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and Exol tablets concealed in eight sacks and allegedly being transported from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Mararaba, Nasarawa State.
In Lagos, Onyeka Ofor was arrested at his residence in Aguda, Surulere, on Friday with 48,900 pills of tramadol 225mg.
Also in the state, seven cartons of cannabis sativa weighing 59kg were intercepted at a logistics company, with a suspect, Luke Ugokwe, arrested.
In another operation in Lagos, 43-year-old Ibrahim Hudu was arrested at Apongbo on Thursday, September 17, with 998.38kg of nitrous oxide gas.
In Gombe State, NDLEA operatives recovered 154,480 capsules of tramadol from two suspects, Sabi’u Umar, 27, and Hassana Muhammad, 19, who were arrested at Barunde and Gombe Main Market respectively on Friday.
In Imo State, a 25-year-old suspect, Ifesinachi Godwin, was arrested along the Owerri-Onitsha Road on Friday with 43.85kg of skunk.
Similarly, four suspects — Blessing Effiong, Saviour Peter, David Friday Sunday and Ability Peter Sunday — were arrested during a raid and destruction of a two-hectare cannabis farm at Ita-Ogbolu Forest in Ondo State on Tuesday.
The agency said 5,000kg of skunk was destroyed at the farm, while an additional 48kg of dried and fresh cannabis was recovered for prosecution.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities during the week.
The agency said the campaigns included enlightenment lectures at St. Ferdinand School, Ogbomoso, Oyo State; Unizik Secondary School, Awka, Anambra State; Scholars Nursery and Primary School, Epe, Lagos State; and Government Technical Training School, Jalingo, Taraba State.
The Delta Ports Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to His Royal Majesty, King Couple Mackson Oromoni Mobene III, Pere Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, Delta State.
Commending officers and men of the Lagos, Tin-Can, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and FCT commands for what he described as professionalism and intelligence-driven operations, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged them and their colleagues nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
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