Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a total of twenty-five million (25,000,000) pills of tapentadol, an opioid three times stronger than tramadol at the Tincan port complex in Lagos.
NDLEA also seized three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) bottles of codeine-based syrup at the complex.
According to a statement issued by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the Agency, Mr. Femi Babafemi on Sunday, the 25 million pills of tapentadol have an estimated street value of Thirteen Billion Seven Hundred and Twenty-Five Million Naira (₦13,725,000,000.00).
However, the codeine consignment has an estimated street value of Two Billion Four Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (₦2,450,000,000.00), bringing the total value of the seizures to Fourteen Billion Nine Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (₦16,175,000,000.00).
“The seizures were made on Tuesday 17th and Friday 20th September 2024 from three containers which had been on the watchlist of the Agency following processed intelligence. As a result, the NDLEA had requested for 100% joint examination of the shipments with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies,” the statement reads in part.
Mr. Babafemi disclosed that the tapentadol consignment packed in 500 cartons was discovered in one of the containers on Tuesday, September 17, while another container examined same day contained 175,000 bottles of Barcadin cough syrup with codeine packed in 875 cartons.
He noted that the third container containing 175,000 bottles of CSC cough syrup with codeine was examined on Friday, September 20.
In a related development, operatives of the Lagos State Strategic Command of the Agency on Friday, September 20 apprehended an 80-year-old grandfather, Pa Aremu Shojobi with 14 kilograms of cannabis at his home in Iyana Ipaja area of the state.
The Octogenarian, in his statement revealed that he has been in the business of selling illicit drugs for 25 years.
He also said that he gets his supplies from Benin Republic, and sells to his customers from his residence between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. everyday.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives in Lagos on Wednesday, September 18 raided the two homes of a community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry West LCDA, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, where a total of 226kg of cannabis was recovered from his two wives and son.
While Alhaji Talba is currently at large, a search of his house in Ashipa area of Seme Badagry led to the recovery of 93 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 57.6kg from his first wife, Asma’u Bashiru, 35, and son, Sadat Bashiru, 22.
It stated that another search of his house at Aketegbo area of Seme Badagry led to the seizure of 302 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 168.6kg from his second wife Hauwa Bashir, 42.
“No less than 720 blocks of Arizona, a strain of cannabis weighing 390kg were also recovered from a Mitsubishi delivery van marked MUS 720 XH at Ojo area of Lagos on Monday 16th September.
“At the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, NDLEA operatives on Sunday 15th September arrested a 38-year-old drug mule, Okafor Ifeanyi Anthony while attempting to board a Qatar Airlines flight to Iran via Doha with 76 wraps of cocaine in his stomach. After three days in excretion observation, Okafor excreted the 76 pellets of the ingested cocaine weighing 1.267kg.
“In Kogi state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway on Tuesday 17th September recovered 700,000 pills of exol-5 coming from Lagos for distribution in Kano and Kaduna, while a suspect Udemefuna Chibuike, 23, was arrested by operatives on Friday 20th September along Mokwa-Jebba road, Niger State, in possession of 49,000 tablets of tramadol, 20,000 tablets of diazepam, 100 ampoules of tramadol injection and 50 bottles of cough syrup with codeine.
“A total of 451 blocks of cannabis weighing 213kg were intercepted along Azikiwe road, Port Harcourt, Rivers state on Wednesday 18th September, by NDLEA officers who apprehended a suspect Ogochukwu Paul, 33, conveying the consignment to a notorious drug haven in Borikiri.”
In the same vein, operatives of the agency in Plateau State on Friday, September 20 nabbed a wanted suspect Jonathan Ali Abuttur, 46, at Agingi- Rukuba road Bassa Local Government Area (LGA) in possession of 808kg of cannabis sativa concealed in 68 bags of sugar and fertilizer.
The Agency’s Spokesperson added that their counterparts in Kwara State also nabbed Shaibu Musa with 28kg of the same psychoactive substance.
The Commands and formations of NDLEA across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
The activities include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Rayhaan Model Academy, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State; Government Day Secondary School, Danrimi, Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State and Technical College, Ihe-Achi, Oji River LGA, Enugu State.
Others are Corpus Christi College, Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti State; Fresh students of Oyo State College of Health Science and Technology, Eleyele Ibadan, Oyo State; Traders at Agboju market, Festac Town, Lagos and the Palace of Oloola of Ilara, Oba Mutiu Adedimeji Lawal Oyede and his chiefs, at Ilara, Ogun State.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa commended the officers and men of Tincan, MAKIA, Lagos, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Kogi, Edo and Kwara Commands for the arrests and seizures.
Gen. Marwa also lauded the officers’ operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country, adding that “their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.”
