DAYS after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) exposed the former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) Abba Kyari as an alleged member of a drug cartel, the agency on Sunday named more Nigerians it arrested at the Lagos International Aiport and other locations in the country over drugs and related crimes.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, the agency said its anti-narcotics officers seized 649,300 capsules of Tramadol 225mg weighing 460.95kg at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company cargo warehouse of the airport.
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The NDLEA arrested one Nwadu Ekene Christian in connection with the seizure.
Christian allegedly imported the drug from Pakistan via Addis Ababa through Ethiopian Airlines on Wednesday, February 16, Babafemi said.
Abba Kyari, now in the NDLEA’s custody, allegedly belongs to a syndicate arrested at the Lagos airport after they disembarked from an Ethiopian airline at the Lagos airport earlier this month.
In its Sunday statement, the agency said it arrested another female passenger Ayeki Happy at the airport the same day with 69,850 Euros cash concealed in her luggage.
Happy arrived at the airport from Italy on a Turkish Airline flight.
“This was four days after another lady, Precious Idahagbon, was arrested with 740,000 Euros cash hidden in her luggage and undeclared upon her arrival at the airport from Vienna, Austria via Istanbul, Turkey. Both cash seizures are currently under investigation to establish if they are proceeds of drug business.”
Similarly, the agency said it intercepted a consignment of 131 parcels of cannabis concealed in packages of black soap (Dudu-Osun) during outward clearance of cargo going to the UK from the airport.
Its officials foiled the plan by some other persons to move another consignment presented for export to Dubai, UAE, at SAHCO shed of the airport after the agency discovered the consignments of 30 parcels of cannabis they hid in cornflakes cartons.
According to the agency, not less than 6.5kg of Heroin, Khat and Oxycodone packaged for export to USA and Canada were seized at a major courier company in Lagos by its operatives. The suspects concealed the drugs in shoes and carton walls.
In Kano, the NDLEA’s men arrested a 34-year-old Nasiru Abdulrahman with 476kg of Cannabis at Kwanar Dan Gora, Kiru local government area of the state, on Friday, February 25.
In Adamawa, the agency seized 4,000 tablets of Tramadol 225mg from one 24-year-old Abdumuminu Abubakar at Gidan Madara, Mubi North LGA, on Tuesday, February 22, while travelling on a motorcycle to deliver the drugs in Bukula, Cameroon Republic.
The agency said the suspect claimed that an accomplice, Fahad Mohammed, 19, gave the consignment to him. The agency eventually arrested Fahad in a follow-up operation at his home in the Kasuwan Borkono Area of Mubi town.
In Abuja, the NDLEA intercepted two consignments from transport vehicles in the Abaji area of the FCT. The first contained 12kg cannabis, while the second had 356kg of the same substance.
A follow-up operation in Kaduna led to the arrest of the owner of the 356kg cannabis, Ayomide Adewale, 29, the NDLEA stated.
“While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, DOGI, Kano, Adamawa and FCT Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their colleagues across the country to intensify the offensive action against all drug cartels in every part of Nigeria.”
At least, 649,300 capsules of Tramadol 225mg and 809,850 Euros cash were among consignments from Pakistan, Austria and Italy intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos where various quantities of Heroin and other illicit drugs were also blocked from being exported to the United States, United Kingdom and Canada by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
The ICIR reported the NDLEA on Friday as saying that 15 million Nigerians, out of an estimated 215 million, take hard drugs.
On February 23, the agency said it destroyed 255 hectares of a cannabis farm on Ondo State.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2022. Contact him via email @ [email protected].