NDLEA Nabs Notorious Drug Dealer, Destroys Cannabis Farms, Seizes Tramadol, Codeine Across States
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, leading to multiple arrests and massive seizures across several states.
The latest operations saw the arrest of a notorious drug dealer in Lagos, the destruction of cannabis plantations in Edo and Osun States, and the interception of large consignments of tramadol, codeine syrup, and other controlled substances in the North.
According to a statement released today by NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, operatives on Tuesday, 30th of September, arrested a notorious dealer, John Igbe, popularly known as SammyBless, at Admiralty Road, Lekki, Lagos.
Igbe, who supplied illicit drugs across the Lekki and Ajah axis, was caught with 550 grams of Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, packaged in retail plastic cups for sale.
On the same day, three other suspects – Idris Lukman, Fuad Abdulsalam and Mobolaji James were apprehended in Mushin area of Lagos with 109kg of skunk, 20 bottles of codeine syrup and 2kg of nitrous oxide.
At the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos, operatives also recovered 3,700 bottles of codeine syrup and 550,000 caplets of expired 225mg diclofenac.
In Ogun State, NDLEA operatives on Monday, 29th September, raided Isheri in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, arresting one Abubakar Audu with 112kg of skunk and 16 grams of tramadol.
In Osun State, three suspects: Chuimieze Shedrack, 28; Sunday John, 25; and Solomon Okopko, 27 were arrested on Thursday, 2nd October, at Owena/Ijesha forest reserve, where 14,000kg of skunk cultivated on 5.6 hectares were destroyed and an additional 142kg of the psychoactive substance seized.
Similarly, in Edo State, operatives on Wednesday, 1st October, intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle marked KUJ 47 NW, loaded with 22 bags of skunk weighing 244.5kg, at Igbanke, Orhionwon LGA. The driver, identified as Ineh Excellent Obindi, 28, was arrested.
Two days later, on Friday, 3rd October, NDLEA teams destroyed 10,897.35kg of skunk cultivated on four farms measuring 4.35 hectares at Ugbodo forest, Ovia North East LGA, and arrested two suspects, Michael Ayang, 40, and Bernard New Year (a.k.a. Don), 47. A total of 223.5kg of processed cannabis and seeds were also recovered from the sites.
In the North, a joint NDLEA-Customs operation along Danbatta–Daura road in Kano led to the arrest of 38-year-old Sa’adu Ali with 290,450 pills of tramadol 250mg and pregabalin capsules on Thursday, 2nd October.
In Kwara State, operatives intercepted 27,700 pills of tramadol 100mg/225mg from one Salisu Abubakar, 25, at Bode Saadu in Moro LGA on Monday, 29th September.
In Kaduna, a 50-year-old woman, Blessing Ovaka, was caught with 498.5kg of skunk at Kudandan, Chikun LGA, while another suspect, Dahiru Salisu, 27, was found with 34,180 capsules of tramadol along Kaduna–Zaria road on Thursday, 2nd October.
Meanwhile, operatives on patrol along the Okene–Lokoja highway intercepted a waybill parcel from Lagos to Abuja containing 3.272kg of Loud and a sachet of Colorado. A follow-up operation at Gwagwalada Park in Abuja led to the arrest of the parcel’s owner, Tobi Odubote, 34. Another suspect, Ismail Abdurrahim, 32, was nabbed with 25.5kg of skunk along the Abaji–Abuja expressway.
In addition to the enforcement operations, NDLEA Commands across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, markets, and communities.
These included awareness lectures for students and staff of Government Day Secondary School, Hammawa Toungo, Adamawa; Government Day Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina; Day Secondary School, Unguwan Nasarawa, Kontagora, Niger; and traders at Ladega Market, Ikorodu, Lagos. The Imo State Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the State First Lady, Barr. Chioma Uzodinma, at the Government House, Owerri.
Commending the officers for their tenacity and professionalism, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), stated: “We’ll continue to target and dismantle every identified drug cartel at every level of their operations; from the mules to the dealers in between and up to their leadership.
“These successful operations should serve as a warning that NDLEA will not relent until the threat posed by the menace of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking is eliminated because every arrest, seizure and assets forfeited by the criminal syndicates signifies innocent lives saved and communities protected either here in Nigeria or in other jurisdictions.”
