A major drug kingpin operating the notorious Patey, Lagos Island drug haven, in Lagos State, Mrs. Sherifat Kehinde Lawal, has been arrested along with six other suspects by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
They also recovered 5,862 kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs including Loud and Codeine in a raid on Saturday, February 26, 2022.
The Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who spoke on the arrests, said that the raid followed credible intelligence and surveillance on illicit drug dealing in Osho, Gambari, and Beecroft Streets, Patey Area of Lagos Island, which made the anti-narcotic officers to storm the Gambari street base of the drug kingpin.
While the arrest of the seven suspects was achieved at about 9:30am, Babafemi said that other members of the cartel operating in the axis mobilised hoodlums who attacked the operatives with stones, bottles and guns in a bid to prevent the officers from arresting other kingpins marked for arrest and to stop them from taking the suspects already nabbed and drug exhibits away.
“The operatives were able to tactically defend themselves, took the suspects and exhibits away.
“Other suspects in custody with Mrs. Lawal include Ahmed Yisau, Solomon Alape, Olayemi Akinola, Salami Qudus, Bakare Rafiu, Rose Samson, Yusuf Rofiat and Chukwudi Egon,” he stated.
In his reaction to the development, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the Lagos Command of the Agency for the successful operation.
He warned those being used by drug cartels to obstruct or attack anti-narcotic officers in the course of doing their work to desist or face dire consequences.
