The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency as part of the effort to tackle the use of illicit drugs across the country has embarked on states raid, with seizures of over 8,200kg of assorted illicit drugs in the first 7 days.
According to a statement issued by the Agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi on Sunday, the operation began on Sunday 1st August and lasted till Saturday 7th August 2021 in seven states.
They are Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Enugu, Bauchi Edo and Anambra states.
Babafemi explained that the raid was aimed at mopping up illicit drugs in the affected states following intelligence and as part of the ongoing offensive action ordered by the Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) against all drug cartels across the country.
He said, “The bulk of the seized drugs were recovered in Ondo and Edo states.
In Akure, the Ondo State capital, a 27-year-old Omokayode Adedayo was on Friday 6th August arrested along Oda road, Akure South Local Government Area with a cocktail of illicit substances including cannabis sativa, cocaine, methamphetamine, tramadol, swinol, and designer drug.
“The previous day, Thursday 5th August, men of the Nigerian Army had intercepted 1,025kgs of cannabis in Toyota Sequoia numbered FST 169 BW and a Toyota Sienna with APP 918 FA as registration number, at a checkpoint in Isua Akoko, where two fake police officers; Stephen Sunday and Eze Ezenwa were also arrested with 575kgs of cannabis being conveyed in a Sienna bus with a fake police registration number NPF 1651D.
“The suspects and exhibits were promptly handed over to the Ondo State command of NDLEA along with a cash exhibit of N148,300.”
According to him, this was preceded by a raid carried out by operatives of the Ondo State command at Egbeta community, a border town between Ondo and Edo states, where 6,332kgs of cannabis sativa were recovered and two suspects; Emeka Ossai and Raphael Henry arrested.
Raids in some parts of Akwa Ibom state according to him, led to the seizure of 64.903kg of illicit drugs including 1.2031kg crack cocaine from a 26-year-old Nwoye Ogbonna Solomon, the biggest cocaine seizure in the history of the state.
Similarly, in Adamawa state, a drug dealer, Ikechukwu Onuh, was arrested at Jimeta, Yola on Thursday 5th August with 14.400kgs of tramadol packaged as diclofenac to evade detection.
It added, “In Enugu, a total of 19.08kg of cocaine and skunk was recovered from three suspects including a 35-year-old cripple, Iyiogwe Chinenye and 25-year-old Aja Chidi David.
“Also, different quantities of cocaine and heroin were seized from an 18-year-old drug dealer, Jude Chinedu during raids at Inland town area of Onitsha, Anambra State.
He also stated that different quantities of tramadol, methamphetamine and skunk going to the UK, Australia, New Zealand and UAE were intercepted in two courier firms in Lagos by narcotic officers of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI), in the agency.
