By Gbemiga Olamikan.
The Director, Media & Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters, Femi Babafemi has disclosed that NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport have thwarted attempt by a suspect, Chimezie Innocent Nwafor to export 2.10 kilograms of methamphetamine to Brazil. Follow up operations led to the arrest of three more suspects linked to the consignment at Oyingbo market, Yaba, Lagos. They include: Ifeanyi Onu; Simon Nwuzor and Omini ThankGod Peter. The meth consignment was molded into 25 bars of local black soup called Dudu Osun and packaged in a carton for export to Brazil.
Babafemi also said that “attempt to export a cocaine consignment consisting of 300grams of raw cocaine and 200grams of phenacetin, a chemical agent used to adulterate and increase the volume of cocaine, concealed in packs of air freshener, going to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, was also foiled by NDLEA operatives attached to the SAHCO export shed at the Lagos airport on Monday 20th March. A suspect, Onyeze Obiora has already been arrested in connection with the seizure”.
He said “another bid by an intending passenger to Reggio, Italy, Osasere MacDonald, to export 500grams of tramadol 225mg concealed inside a carton of indomie noodles on Tuesday 21st March was equally frustrated by vigilant officers who seized the drugs and arrested him. On the same day, operatives of the Tincan Port command of the Agency also intercepted 107 kilograms of Cannabis Indica popularly known as Colorado hidden in a container bearing four used vehicles imported from Toronto, Canada. Few days later, Friday 24th March, Apapa Command of Customs Service was able to apprehend and hand over to NDLEA two suspects: Ademola Adekunle and Dayo Olatunji linked to the consignment”.
In Edo, operatives on Friday 24th March intercepted a DAF trailer marked ZUR 378 XJ (Kebbi) with 69 bags of Cannabis Sativa weighing 700kg concealed under bags of fertilizer in Auchi, Etsako West LGA. The bags of fertilizer were to be delivered in Funtua, Katsina state, the cannabis consignment was to be dropped in Kaduna. Both the driver of the truck, Babangida Mande and his assistant Mandir Abdullahi are already in custody. Another suspect, Ijarekhai Ogbewee was arrested on Thursday 23rd March at Ishokha Quarters, Otuo, Owan East LGA, with 32kg of the same substance.
Babafemi also revealed that “a female drug dealer, Mrs. Kudirat Bello was nabbed in Igbesa area of Ogun state on Monday 20th March, with different quantities of methamphetamine, cannabis and rophynol along with N119, 600.00 monetary exhibits. As 96 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 82kg concealed inside jumbo bags of cassava flour were recovered at Basket Market, Asaba, Delta, while a total of 164, 750 pills of opioids mainly tramadol were seized from two suspects: Henry Abuchi and Daniel Ugwoke, in parts of Taraba state. No fewer than 45 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 23kg were recovered along Okene – Abuja highway from Abubakar Muhammad, in a Toyota Hiace bus coming from Lagos and going to Maiduguri on Tuesday 21st March in Kogi state. He noted that a total of 1,030.6 kilograms of cannabis were recovered from at least three suspects: Bolaji Adesina; Femi Ojo and Jamiu Useni during raid operations in Mushin area of Lagos State”.
