In a significant crackdown on drug trafficking, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 10 suspects, including three blind men, in a series of operations across Lagos, Abuja, Osun, Edo, and Ogun states.
The arrests were made following intelligence-led operations at three different locations in Lagos, leading to the seizure of illicit drugs valued at over N13 billion.
According to Femi Babafemi, the Director for Media and Advocacy at NDLEA, the agency’s operatives seized a staggering 14,481,519 pills of Tramadol and bottles of codeine syrup during the operations.
The first raid took place at House 8/10 Hon. Wahuha Avenue, Divine Estate, Ago Palace area of Amuwo Odofin, where 490,000 pills of tramadol and 81,519 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives targeted a secret warehouse operated by a billionaire Idumota trader, Nwaoha Anayo, in Onitire, Aguda area of Surulere. The team recovered 12,700,000 pills of tramadol from the location.
Additionally, six individuals involved in smuggling illicit drugs through the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) warehouse at the Lagos airport were apprehended. The team seized 1,210,000 pills of tramadol from this group.
Furthermore, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 50-year-old businessman, Nwokolo Ifeanyi Anthony, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Anthony was caught attempting to board Air France flight AF 878 to Amsterdam, Netherlands, via Paris, with 86 pellets of heroin weighing 1.330 kilograms concealed in his body.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives attached to courier firms intercepted 22 parcels of cocaine concealed in the walls of a carton containing sewn local fabrics, known as Aso Oke, heading to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The operations also led to the arrest of three blind men involved in an illicit drug ring operating between Lagos and Kano states. The blind suspects, Adamu Hassan, Bello Abubakar, and Muktar Abubakar, were apprehended, shedding light on the extent of the syndicate’s activities. Another blind member of the syndicate, Mallam Aminu, remains at large.
Additionally, NDLEA operatives stormed cannabis farms in Owena-Ijesa, Oriade LGA, and Avbiosi forest, Owan West LGA, leading to the arrest of a suspect, Monday Sylvester, and the seizure of cannabis plants totaling 489.8 kilograms.
In another operation in Ogun state, 460 kilograms of the same substance were seized from a Toyota Sienna bus found in a ditch along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. Also, 116.5 kilograms of cannabis sativa, belonging to a suspect at large, were seized in Mushin area of Lagos.
The NDLEA, in its continued efforts against drug abuse, conducted awareness and advocacy lectures across the country. These sensitization lectures were organized in collaboration with various educational institutions, including secondary schools in Akwa Ibom, Kano, Gombe, Anambra, Osun, Oyo, and Ogun states.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, commended the officers and men involved in the successful operations and urged them to remain focused as the agency expands its operations against drug cartels nationwide.
