The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended three trucks trafficking multi-billion naira worth of opiates and codeine in Lagos.
The trailers had 3,450,000 opioid tablets and 344,000 codein syrup bottles. Abule Ado in Lagos State’s Amuwo Odofin LGA impounded them and detained three individuals.
On Sunday, NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said the multi-billion naira consignments were loaded into two 40-ft container trucks and one 20-ft truck at the AML bonded terminal in Abule-Osun, near the International Trade Fair complex, before heading to a large warehouse in Abule-Ado, where NDLEA officers arrested the suspects and recovered the opioids on Thursday, May 9, 2024.
“Those arrested include the warehouse agent, Cosmas Obiajulu, 51; Ridwan Balogun, 25, and Banjo Tayo, 30, both drivers of two of the trucks while the third driver jumped off to escape arrest,” he said.
In the same vein, Babafemi said that NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, 7th May detained a suspect, Nwankwo Ejike in Coker area of Lagos where 100 litres of codeine syrup were confiscated from him while 60 litres of the same drug were taken from Clinton Akinye in the same area same day.
“Not less than 37.5kg of cannabis sativa loaded in a Toyota camry car was recovered from another suspect, Adegbola Segun, 47, when the car was intercepted at Mile 12 area of Lagos on Monday 6th May.
“Another consignment of opioids consisting of 59,106 pills of tramadol and different quantities of codeine syrup and rohypnol being taken across the border to Garua, Cameroon was intercepted by NDLEA officers on Monday 6th May along Mubi-Yola road, Adamawa state. Two suspects linked to the drugs: Abubakar Auwal, 39, and Adamu Abubakar, 25, (a.k.a Bamanga), a trans-border trafficker who was to take the consignment from Mubi across to Cameroon were promptly arrested,” he disclosed.
Babafemi further reported that in Edo State, NDLEA operatives conducted a raid on the Iguiye forest in Ovia North East LGA on Saturday, May 11th. They destroyed a total of 11,636.185kg of cannabis on three farms spanning 4.654474 hectares. Additionally, 188kg of the same psychoactive substance was seized, and a suspect named Itah Nyong was apprehended during the overnight operation.
He mentioned that on Friday, May 10th, a 75-year-old man, Jibril Audu, was arrested with 7.5 kilograms of cannabis during a raid operation in Oke-asa village, Ijero-Ekiti, Ekiti State. On Thursday, May 9th, a 70-year-old woman, Tikwase Nytor, was caught with 15.6kg of the same substance during a raid operation at Achusa and International Market road, Makurdi, Benue state.
In commendation of the Lagos, Edo, Ekiti, Benue, and Adamawa Commands of the Agency for their commendable work in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), assured that officers and personnel of the Agency would continue collaborating with local and international partners to minimize the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria.