The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has recorded a harvest of arrests, as it nabbed a 75-year-old grandpa in Ekiti, 70-year-old grandma in Benue for illicit drugs dealing and destroys 11, 636.185kg cannabis in Edo forest.
It also intercepted three trailer loads of opioids, seizes 3.5million pills, 344,000 codeine bottles of codeine syrup at Abule Ado in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, where three suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure.
NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday, said: “The multi-billion naira consignments were loaded into two 40-ft container trucks and another 20-ft truck at the AML bonded terminal, Abule-Osun, near the International Trade Fair complex before heading to a large warehouse at Abule-Ado where NDLEA officers eventually arrested the suspects and recovered the opioid consignments on May 9, 2024.
“Those arrested include the warehouse agent, Cosmas Obiajulu, 51; Ridwan Balogun, 25, and Banjo Tayo, 30, both drivers of two of the trucks while the third driver jumped off to escape arrest.
“In the same vein, NDLEA operatives on May 7, arrested a suspect, Nwankwo Ejike
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in Coker area of Lagos where 100 litres of codeine syrup were recovered from him while 60 litres of the same substance were seized from Clinton Akinye in the same area same day.
“Not fewer 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 May 6.
“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 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 who was to take the consignment from Mubi across to Cameroon were promptly arrested.
“In Edo state, NDLEA operatives on May 11, 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 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 May 10, 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 May 9, during a raid operation at Achusa and International Market road, Makurdi, Benue State,” the statement added.
