At least, 1,760,460 million pills of Tramadol and other opioids have been intercepted hidden in packs of noodles and others at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos as well as in Gombe state.
While over 600,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg coming from Karachi, Pakistan in two separate shipments on Ethiopian Airlines flights were intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the SAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport on December 12 and 13, 2022, 5,960 pills of Rohypnol concealed in 60 packs of indomie noodles going to Johannesburg, South Africa were also seized at the SAHCO export shed of the airport on December 14.
The interceptions and seizures were disclosed by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, December 18.
He said that a female freight agent, Olaleye Adeola was arrested in connection with the noodles consignment.
In a related development, in collaboration with the Zone 2 Police Headquarters, Lagos, a trader at Balogun market in Lagos Island, Akunne Chibuzor Tochukwu, was arrested over his attempt to export a Tramadol consignment to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The consignment was seized at the Lagos airport by NDLEA operatives on November 25, while a market labourer, Oke Abosede Ronke whose services were requested to convey the drug for export had earlier been arrested.
Babafemi stated further that NDLEA operatives in Lagos, on Sunday December 11, intercepted a truck and a bus conveying 113 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing 4,802.84 kilogrammes around the VGC estate area of Ajah, with the arrest of three suspects, namely Taofeek Yusuf, Ifeanyi Okorie and Israel Nwachukwu, in connection with the seizures.
In Gombe State, a total of 1,154,500 pills of Tramadol, Rohypnol and Exol being transported from Onitsha, Anambra state to Gombe by a truck driver, Umar Hassan, 28, were seized on Thursday, December 15. at Byepass area of Gombe by a team of NDLEA officers, following credible intelligence.
Also acting on intelligence, operatives in Edo State on Friday, December 16 intercepted a Honda Ridgeline pick-up vehicle with registration number BWR 699 CV, loaded with 29 bags of Cannabis Sativa weighing 319kg.
The driver of the vehicle, Alfred Vratombo, 32, was arrested with fake police uniforms, which he was using to deceive security men on the road.
Attempt by a drug dealer, Chuks Kalu, 29, to smuggle into Kano 26kg of cannabis concealed inside packs of blenders was thwarted by operatives who intercepted the consignment along Abuja-Kaduna express road and later arrested him in a follow up operation in Kano.
This was just as another suspect, Rabilu Sa’ad Abubakar,42, was also arrested in a follow-up operation in Kano, after the seizure of his consignment 1,980 bottles of Cough syrup with codeine, concealed inside cartons, were seized along Abuja-Kaduna express road.
In Bauchi State, operatives on Saturday, December 17, arrested Muhammed Ahmed, 40, with 288 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 244.5Kg in Darazo area of the state.
In Delta State, NDLEA officers stormed the home of a drug kingpin, Okrika Kingsley Ozioma, at Usiefurum town, Ughelli South Local Government Area, where an underground drug bunk was uncovered in a three-bedroom bungalow building owned by the suspect who is now on the run.
Cannabis weighing 17.6kg was recovered from the bunk, in addition to a 2003 Silver Golf car with registration number Lagos KJA 572 AZ used for the distribution of drugs within and outside Warri.
In Oyo State, a suspect, Yusuf Ayinde, 40, was arrested with 50.4kg cannabis in his residence at Idi-Ose via Amuloko, Ona-Ara LGA, on Saturday December 17.
The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), who commended all operatives who worked in the state commands for their commitment and vigilance leading to the arrests and seizures of the past week, urged them and their compatriots across other formations to continue to surpass their past records of achievements.
