From Victor Osula, Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled attempts by drug syndicates to export large consignments of cocaine, methamphetamine and opioids through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, to the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey and Qatar.
The NDLEA in a statement issued on Sunday, by its Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said through a series of intelligence-led operations, its operatives recovered the illicit drugs and arrested the masterminds.
Revealing details of the operations, Babafemi said a total of 13 parcels of cocaine weighing 4.40kg cocaine going to the United Kingdom via Frankfurt on a Lufthansa Airlines flight were intercepted by NDLEA officers at the export shed of the Lagos airport on 5th November 2024, while businessman linked to the consignment, Ekeocha Anayo Nelson, was tracked and arrested on 8th November.
Another attempt by another businessman, Adegbite Solomon (aka Obama), to export 7,800 pills of tramadol, 180 tablets of Rohypnol, and 60 bottles of codeine to Italy was foiled at the departure hall of the Lagos airport on Monday, November 11, when NDLEA operatives arrested him after recovering the opioids concealed in food and other items while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy.
He claimed to have travelled to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea and earned a living as a street beggar before delving into the logistics business.
Also related is the arrest of another businessman, Anoke Kingsley Roomy, with 1,100 pills of tramadol 225mg hidden in his luggage while attempting to board his Ethiopian Airlines flight going to Istanbul, Turkey, at terminal 1 of the Lagos airport on Friday, 15th November.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, and their counterparts from the FCT Command of the Agency, on Friday, 15th November, raided a hotel room at the Federal Housing Authority estate, Lugbe, Abuja, where they arrested two suspects: Omeh Uchenna Jude, 36, and Anene Valentine Chigozie, 34. Recovered from them was 1.8kg of methamphetamine, which they were preparing to travel with to Qatar.
Another suspect, Akande Moruf Olasunkanmi, was arrested with 1.8kg methamphetamine by operatives of a Special Operations Unit in NDLEA at his street in Surulere, Lagos home, after weeks of intelligence and surveillance.
In another intelligence-led operation, officers of an NDLEA task force, on Saturday, 16th November, foiled the attempt by a trans-border trafficker, Emmanuel Okechukwu Okeke, to smuggle 50,000 pills of tramadol 225mg from Ghana into Lagos. The pills were concealed in the body compartments of a Toyota Hummer Bus belonging to GUO Transport Company, driven by the suspect. The vehicle was intercepted at the Ijanikin area of the Lagos-Badagry expressway while coming from Ghana.
In Edo state, not less than 997kg of cannabis was recovered during raids in parts of the state. While 680kg cannabis and a Sienna bus marked FST-320 AE were seized at a bush path to Oghada forest in Oghada, Orhionmwan LGA, 180.5kg of the same substance was recovered from a suspect, Cecilia Ibe, 31, at Ofosu forest, Ovia South West LGA and 136.5kg evacuated from a building in Otuo community, Owan East LGA on Thursday 14th November.
Similarly, a suspect, Ifejimagha Chinonso, was on Wednesday, 13th November, nabbed with 88.3kg of cannabis by NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway while personnel of Kano Command of the Agency on Friday, 15th November, arrested Ahmed Goni, 30, at Gadar Tamburawa, Kano- Zaria road where they recovered from him 65,730 capsules of tramadol.
In Kwara state, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect Adio Sulaiman with 120.8kg cannabis and some litres of codeine at Gaa Odota in Ilorin West LGA, while Kelechi Obichere, 42, was nabbed with 75kg cannabis at Eziobodo, Owerri West LGA, Imo state on Thursday 14th November. A total of 563.74 kilograms of the same psychoactive substance were recovered from a 60-year-old suspect Anthony Anakabi, following his arrest at Iyalode, Iyana church area of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities, among others in the past week. These include WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Government Day Secondary School, Bazza, Adamawa; Community Secondary School, Ogan-Ama, Rivers state; NKST Secondary School, Adikpo, Benue state; Government Secondary School, Tambuwal, Sokoto state; Government Girls Secondary School, Kunchi, Kano; Ebele Chu Group of Schools, Nkpor Onitsha, Anambra; and Army Cantonment Senior Boys High School, Ojo, Lagos state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, DOGI, DI, Oyo, Lagos, Imo, Kwara, Kano, and Edo Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated
