Over 14 million Tramadol pills and bottles of codeine syrup valued at more than N13 billion have been recovered by operatives of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in three major busts of drug cartels operating in Amuwo Odofin, Idumota and the SAHCO shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State.
This was made known by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, November 5, 2023.
According to Babafemi, the three intelligence-led operations began with the raid of House 8/10 Hon. Wahuha Avenue, Divine Estate, Ago Palace area of Amuwo Odofin on Sunday 29th October, where 490,000 pills of tramadol and 81,519 bottles of codeine syrup measuring 4, 510, 000mls were recovered.
In a similar operation on Tuesday, October 31, NDLEA operatives swooped on a secret warehouse operated by a billionaire Idumota trader, Nwaoha Anayo, located at Onitire, Aguda area of Surulere where 12.7 million Tramadol pills were recovered.
In the same vein, at least six members of a syndicate using their official cover to facilitate the smuggling of illicit drugs through the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) warehouse at the Lagos airport into the country were arrested, with 1.210 million Tramadol pills seized from them in an operation which lasted for weeks.
The six suspects already in NDLEA custody include Oladele Sanya-Olu, Lawal Itunu Temitope, Sanamo Alla Daniel, Udeh Felix Monday, Musa Mutalib and Unege Evans Isibor.
Three other suspects identified as Sarki Mubarak Salami, Abdullahi Aliyu (aka Aboki) and Monday Anwal, were said to be on the run and had been declared wanted by NDLEA.
At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja, NDLEA operatives on Sunday, October 29, intercepted another businessman, 50-year-old Nwokolo Ifeanyi Anthony, during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 878 to Amsterdam, Netherlands via Paris, France at the boarding gate.
When his body was scanned, the result reportedly turned out to be positive for illicit drug ingestion.
The suspect, who travelled from Lagos to board the flight, was subsequently kept under observation for some days, during which he excreted a total of 86 pellets of heroin weighing 1.330 kilogrammes.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), attached to courier firms, intercepted 22 parcels of cocaine concealed in the walls of a carton containing locally-sewn fabrics, popularly called Aso Oke, on Monday, October 30, heading to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives have arrested three blind men operating an illicit drug ring between Lagos and Kano, while another blind member of the syndicate is still at large.
The lid was blown off the group following the arrest of a blind suspect, Adamu Hassan, aged 40, along Gwagwalada expressway Abuja with 12kg of skunk on his way from Lagos to Kano on Saturday, October 28.
Investigations however established that he was totally oblivious of the content of the bag handed to him to deliver in Kano.
Follow-up operations reportedly led to the arrest of the arrowhead of the syndicate, Bello Abubakar, 45, who is also blind, the spokesman stated.
“In his statement, Bello, who is married with five children, said he has been living in Lagos for 30 years but started the illicit drug business five years ago,” he added.
Another suspect, Muktar Abubakar, 59, who is equally blind, has been living in Lagos for 40 years and married to three wives with 14 children.
Both Muktar Abubakar and Bello Abubakar are joint owners of the business, while the third suspect, Akilu Amadu, 25, also blind, had been contributing money to the illicit trade.
Amadin was said to have been the one who delivered the consignment to Adamu at the motor park in Lagos to deliver in Kano.
Another blind suspect who is the expected receiver of the consignment in Kano, Mallam Aminu is currently at large.
Operatives in Osun on Saturday, November 4, stormed the Obada sawmill forest in Owena-Ijesa, Oriade Local Government Area where they arrested a suspect, Monday Sylvester, 37, on a 6.01 hectares of cannabis farm.
The farm was destroyed by the operatives while 489.8kg cannabis already processed was recovered.
Those in Edo State raided a trans-loading point inside Avbiosi Forest, Owan West LGA, where 603 kilogrammes of the illicit substance were seized.
Also, NDLEA officers in Ogun State on Friday, November 3, recovered a Toyota Sienna bus from a ditch, at Ajebo Area, along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 460kg cannabis sativa, while a total of 116.5kg of the same substance belonging to a suspect at large were seized at Olagunju, Mushin area of Lagos.
Babafemi said that NDLEA commands and formations continued their advocacy lectures on war against drug abuse across the country.
Commending the officers and men of the anti-drug agency for the arrests and seizures in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their compatriots across the country to remain focused, with the determination to expand operations against drug cartels.
