Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of cocaine and pharmaceutical opioids concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads and hair treatment cream containers heading to the United Kingdom (UK), Ireland and Cyprus.
NDLEA revealed that in one of the logistics companies, not less than 30 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.1 kilograms, concealed in hair cream containers were recovered by its officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) during examination of cargoes going to Ireland on Tuesday, September 3, 2024.
Another consignment of 24 parcels of cocaine weighing 862 grams also hidden in hair cream containers meant for delivery in UK was equally intercepted at the same company on Friday, September 6.
The Director, Media and Advocacy of the anti-narcotic agency, Mr. Femi Babafemi disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday.
“In the same vein, a total of 525 pills of tramadol 225mg and ecstasy (MDMA) concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads going to Cyprus were seized at another courier firm in Lagos by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 3rd September, while a shipment of 200 ampoules of promethazine injection and pentazocine injection hidden in food items and herbs heading to London, UK, was also seized by operatives on Wednesday 4th September.
“Operatives equally intercepted another consignment of tramadol 225mg buried in granulated melon that came from Cameroon and going to South Africa on Friday 6th September.
“No fewer than 550,000 pills of tramadol were also intercepted at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Port Harcourt on Monday 2nd September during a joint examination of a cargo that came from Delhi, India, with men of the Nigerian Customs Service while a suspect was already arrested in connection with the seizure,” the statement partly reads.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives in Ekiti State, supported by men of the Nigerian Army on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th September stormed three camps inside the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve, in Ise/Orun Local Government Area (LGA) where over 100,000 kilograms of cannabis spread across 51 hectares of farm land were destroyed.
The affected settlements include: Aba Saalaja with 23 hectares; Aba Paanu with 12 hectares and Aba Arogunmatidi with 16 hectares, all within the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve.
Two suspects: Bala Musa, 42, and Danladi Muhammad, 44, were arrested on Friday, September 6 along Toro-Jos road, Kaduna with 305kg cannabis concealed in false compartment of a J5 boxer bus marked YLA 682 XM, while another suspect, Aminu Ayuba, 24, was arrested in possession of 18 kilograms of same substance at Makarfi town.
Two others, Umar Usman, 40, and Zubairu Kabiru, 45, were apprehended along Zaria- Kaduna highway in possession of 1300 tablets of tramadol on the same day.
The statement further read: “In Jigawa State, Uzairu Ya’u, 30, was nabbed with 32.6kg of cannabis on Thursday 5th September at Koran Shehu, while operatives in Kogi on Wednesday 4th September intercepted 77,300 pills of tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 as well as 1,230 bottles of codeine in a commercial bus driven by Attai Okolo, 68, along Aloma – Ejule road, Ofu LGA, Kogi State.
“Another suspect, Mohammed Idris, 56, was nabbed along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway on Tuesday 3rd September, with 42.400kg cannabis coming from Lagos enroute Kano.
“While NDLEA operatives in Borno State arrested Idris Muhammad, 40, at Ramat area of Maiduguri on Thursday 5th September with 13,100 pills of tramadol, their counterparts in Kano on Wednesday 4th September nabbed Hakilu Usman, 35, with 25.8kg cannabis and 3,000 pills of diazepam along Kano – Daura road.
“In Taraba, no fewer than 87,790 pills of tramadol were recovered from Musa Adamu, 30, when he was arrested in Zing, while in Osun State, a raid of the home of a drug kingpin, Mayowa Abayomi Awe (a.k.a Bishop) in Ilesa on Wednesday 4th September led to the seizure of 43grams of crack cocaine, 23grams of methamphetamine, 17.126kg cannabis and a locally made pistol.”
In the same vein, the Commands and formations of NDLEA across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
The activities include WADA enlightenment lecture for Students of Kano State Polytechnic, Kano; Staff of Don Bosco Science Academy, Ukhun, Ekpoma, Edo State; Members of Peace Corps, Osogbo, Osun State; Council of Traditional Rulers, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; and taxi drivers at Central Motor Park, Sokoto, among others.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the officers and men of DOGI, PHIA, Ekiti, Kano, Osun, Taraba, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kogi, Bauchi, and Borno Commands for the arrests and seizures.
Gen. Marwa reiterated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country are well appreciated.
He urged them not to rest on their oars but continue to intensify ongoing drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
