Nigeria’s Anti-Narcotics Agency Seizes Over 2.3 Tonnes Of Illicit Drugs Nationwide, Arrests 70-Year-Old Grandma, Others | Sahara Reporters
The agency also arrested several suspects, including a 70-year-old woman, in separate operations carried out across the states.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have recovered more than 2.3 tonnes of assorted illicit drugs in raids and operations across Lagos, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Kaduna, Plateau, Bayelsa and Kano states.
The agency also arrested several suspects, including a 70-year-old woman, in separate operations carried out across the states.
The NDLEA disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
In Kano State, NDLEA operatives raided the Sabon Gari area and arrested 20-year-old Saidu Adamu with 785,000 capsules of Pregabalin weighing 669.425kg.
A separate stop-and-search operation along the Zaria-Kano-Hadejia Road led to the seizure of 1,700 tablets of diazepam concealed inside loaves of bread.
The tablets were allegedly being transported by 28-year-old Habibu Sabitu, who was arrested by the operatives.
In Plateau State, NDLEA officers arrested 51-year-old Chinedu Uzor at Katako Market in Jos with 157,100 capsules of tramadol.
In Bayelsa State, four suspects were arrested at Ovom, Yenagoa, with 110 bags of cannabis weighing 876kg.
The suspects were identified as 70-year-old Godwoman Gboriye, 44-year-old Motombo Silver, 39-year-old Pere Andrew and 43-year-old Keme Andrew.
In Kaduna State, a female suspect, Hannah Michael, was arrested at Gonin Gora with 369.6kg of cannabis.
In Ondo State, NDLEA officers acting on intelligence raided a residence along Oke-Iya, Ijoka Road, Akure, on Wednesday, September 9.
The operation led to the recovery of 186kg of skunk allegedly concealed in the boot of a Toyota Avalon car marked ABJ 917 FV.
A 58-year-old suspect, Paul Ogbuwala, was arrested. The agency said he was allegedly planning to move the consignment to Jos for onward distribution.
The NDLEA also reported significant seizures in Edo State, where its operatives destroyed 4,832.56kg of skunk on cannabis farms located in Usen Forest, Igwe-Oke Forest and Ogboha Forest in Ovia South West, Owan East and Owan West Local Government Areas.
A 39-year-old suspect, Sunday Segun, was arrested during the operation on Friday, September 11.
In Delta State, two separate operations in Ughelli and Asaba resulted in the seizure of ampoules of pentazocine injection, codeine syrup, tramadol, diazepam, flunitrazepam, also known as hypnox, and MDMA, popularly called Molly.
The agency said some of the drugs were concealed inside music speakers.
Two suspects, Emeka Oji and Chukwuebuka Anedi, were arrested.
The NDLEA said its Commands and formations across the country also continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities during the week.
The activities included a WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Mezube Islamiyya Academy in Tudun Wada, Kano; an advocacy visit to the management of Cross River State College of Health Technology, Calabar; and a visit by the Zone 4 Command to the Emir of Keffi, Alhaji Shehu Chindo Yamusa III, in Nasarawa State.
Commending the officers and men involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged them to sustain the agency’s drug control efforts.
Marwa charged the operatives to “continue to shut every pipeline being used by drug cartels, whether at the airports, seaports, land borders, or in the hinterland where cannabis is cultivated.”