NDLEA agents arrested 17 suspects and seized 2,601.5 kilograms of cannabis and 102,500 pills of pharmaceutical opioids during interdiction operations in Plateau, Edo, Delta, Taraba, Kogi, Kano, Lagos, and Adamawa states in one week.
The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday, January 29, that four suspects arrested in connection with a seizure offered NDLEA operatives a bribe of N3 million.
“523.8kgs cannabis were seized in a bus heading to Port Harcourt along Lagos-Ibadan expressway in the early hours of Sunday 22nd Jan. Four suspects, Okechukwu Umen, Lanre Adebayo Ismaila, 47, Adeshina Adigun Fatai, 50, and Emmanuel Omijeh, 42, were arrested in connection with the seizure, and three million naira (N3,000,000) offered as a bribe was kept as part of the exhibits for their prosecution, according to the statement.
“309kgs of cannabis were recovered from a Bauchi-bound Toyota Camry car marked KUJ 218 BS driven by a suspect, Godwin Ojo, 37, on Saturday 28th January along Bauchi road, Jos, Plateau state, and 718kgs of the same substance were seized in an unfinished building in Sabongida-Ora, Owan West LGA, Edo state,” according to the report.
In Delta state, at least 250.3kgs of C/S were recovered from three suspects in raids in Abbi town, Ndokwa West LGA, and Asaba, the state capital: Wilson Ejougo, 43; Okpor Charles Chuks, 33; and Grace Isaiah, 51.
Umar Halidu, 35, was apprehended with 18kgs of cannabis in Mutum Biyu, Gassol LGA, Taraba State, while Ali Abdulwahab, 48, Bashir Musa, 31, and Ibrahim Shuaibu Abdullahi, 38, were apprehended in Kogi state with 532kgs of the psychoactive substance in their truck.
189 blocks of C/S weighing 131kgs were seized from a suspect, Shafi’u Abubakar, 29, in Kano’s Mariri area, and 119.4kgs of the same substance were recovered from four suspects in Lagos state.
In a joint operation with military personnel, 102,500 opioid pills were recovered from the store of a mobile dealer in Mubi’s old park.
Gen. Marwa responded by commending all officers involved in the effort, stating that the achievement proves that his warning to drug barons at a media briefing on January 18th was no fluke, but rather a work plan based on the determination and commitment of the Agency’s officers and men to rid Nigeria of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
He charged MMIA Command personnel, as well as those from Plateau, Edo, Delta, Taraba, Kogi, Kano, Lagos, and Adamawa states, as well as their compatriots across the country, to remain steadfast and focused on the agency’s corporate goal.
