•As nine Ghanaians bag 72 years jail term for smuggling 10,843kg cannabis into Nigeria
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 28 persons arrested with 9,437.6 kilogrammes of cannabis and 138,053 tablets of pharmaceutical opioids among others, during operations across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The states included Yobe, Ondo, Edo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Kaduna, Kwara, Lagos.
Among the arrested persons were a pregnant woman, a nursing mother and a 200-level university student.
Giving an insight to the operations, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi said on Sunday, October 16, 2022, that the operatives stormed a village known as Chukuku, which is about 10 kilometers from Gwagwalada where they raided a large cannabis warehouse on Saturday, October 15.
A total of 510 jumbo bags of the illicit substance weighing 5,640kg were recovered from the store and a nursing mother in charge, Sa’adatu Abdullahi, 35, was arrested.
In Yobe, while operatives intercepted 48kg of cannabis in Buni Yadi, they also raided a location in Potiskum where they recovered 56 blocks (31kg).
Two suspects caught with the drugs were Mohammed Mamuda and a married pregnant woman, Hauwa Haruna.
Also, at least 99 bags of cannabis and three bags of its seeds weighing 1,286kgs were seized on Thursday, October 13 when operatives raided a location in Ogbese area of Ondo State, while another raid at Umukpe forest in Uhunmonde council area of Edo State led to the seizure of 410kg of the same substance.
Recovered with the drugs in Edo were a motorcycle and two dane guns while two suspects – Numga Anim, 30, and Friday Ebije, 50 – were arrested.
Not less than 50 bags of cannabis sativa weighing
623kg were also recovered at Ekpom village in Igueben Local Government Area with the arrest of the owner, Lucky Henry, 30.
Another suspect, Ndidi Esegine, 52, was nabbed at Ugbodo forest, Ovia North East LGA with 266.8kg of cannabis sativa on Tuesday, October 11.
Two days after, operatives stormed Uzebba forest in Owan West LGA to destroy four cannabis farms where two suspects – Ezekiel Raphael and Gideon Bassey – were arrested with a total of 223.5kg processed cannabis recovered from them.
A stop-and-search operation along the East/West road, in Ahoada area of Rivers State has led to the recovery of 251.4kg of marijuana in a gold colour Toyota Sienna bus with registration number Abuja YAB 70 BR, with a suspect, Segun Ajayi, arrested.
Equally recovered were 161.4kg from an ash colour Toyota Camry saloon car with registration number Abuja RBC 590 BQ.
In Akwa Ibom State, attempt by a trans-border trafficker, Edet Osu James, 44, to export 2.4kgs cocaine concealed in two large tins of powdered milk to Cameroon was foiled by officers of the Marine unit of the Agency on Thursday, October 13 during an outward clearance of vessels going to Cameroon from Oron.
In Imo State, no fewer than 10,690 pills of tramadol were intercepted during stop and search operations along Owerri-Onitsha road with three suspects – Saadu Usman, Godwin Emeka and Emeka Obijihe – arrested in follow-up efforts on Thursday, October 13.
Interestingly, Obijihe was already standing trial for a similar offence for which he was arrested on May 9, 2022 and was on court bail when he was arrested again last Thursday for trafficking 6.5kg of tramadol.
In Jigawa State, operatives recovered 67,300 pills of exol-5 and tramadol at Dansure/Roni junction, while in Kogi State, a total of 46,100 pills of the same opioids were seized along Okene-Abuja highway, both on Thursday, October 13.
At least, six suspects were arrested at a notorious drug location in Ngurore town, Adamawa State with a total of 495kg cannabis seized in addition to different quantities of opioids.
Suspects arrested included Chidi Titus, Vincent Donatus, Badishi Bitrus, Abubakar Inuwa, Abdul A. Abdul and Inuwa Ado Isa.
At least, 5,480 pills of tramadol were seized from two suspects, Dalhatu Salisu and Hamisu Ishaq, who were arrested on Wednesday, October 12, by operatives along Abuja-Kaduna express road, while a total of 3,800 bottles of new psychoactive substance, Akuskura and 7,760 tablets of tramadol were recovered from five suspects along Ilorin-Jebba highway.
Four of the suspects – Idris Nadir, 38; Suleiman Mubammed, 68; Babangida Zaki, 30 and Yahaya Lawal – claimed they were coming from Ibadan, Oyo State and taking the Akuskura to Katsina, Kano and Birnin Kebbi.
The fifth suspect, Nafiu Idris, who was arrested with the tramadol pills said he was taking them to Kankara in Katsina State.
Meanwhile, a 200-level student of Mass Communication at National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Ms. Mercy Nyong, 30, was on Wednesday, October 12, arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos, for attempting to export 300grammes of tramadol 225mg concealed in incense products going to Dubai, UAE.
In another development, nine Ghanaians arrested for attempting to smuggle 10,843.95kg cannabis into Nigeria through the sea were on Friday, October 14 convicted and sentenced to 72 years imprisonment.
They were initially arrested by men of the Civil Defence Corps and transferred to NDLEA for further investigation and prosecution.
At the conclusion of investigations, they were arraigned in charge number FHC/L/292C/2021.
Delivering his ruling in the matter on Friday, Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court, Lagos convicted the Ghanaians of conspiracy and dealing in cannabis and thereafter sentenced each of them to eight years in prison.
The convicts were Victor Wuddah, Freeman Gazul, Adotete Joseph, Sottie Moses,
Sottie Stephen, Christian Tette, Kanu Okonipa, Daniel Koyepti and Kanu Natte.
Commending the NDLEA officers and men for their efforts at drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction, the Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), charged them and their counterparts across other commands not to rest on their oars.
