An automobile spare parts dealer, Ejiofor Nnaemeka Chiwuzie, has been arrested by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over an attempt to export consignments of heroin and loud through the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos State.
Thenewsbearer learnt that the heroin and loud, which is a strain of cannabis, were concealed in LED rechargeable lamps and sofa metal legs.
Confirming this on Sunday, September 29, NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said that Ejiofor was arrested on Tuesday September 24 at the Trade Fair complex, Ojo area of Lagos where he sells automobile spare parts.
The arrest followed the seizure of his cargo containing auto parts, rechargeable lamps, sofa metal legs and electronics going to Liberia at the export shed of the Lagos airport.
Concealed inside the LED lamps and sofa legs were 37 parcels of heroin weighing 1.10 kilogrammes and four blocks of loud with a total weight of 1.20kg.
A swift follow up operation led to the arrest of two freight agents and then Ejiofor who sent the consignment.
In the same vein, attempts by drug trafficking networks to export consignments of loud, Tramadol pills, Cocodamol tablets, pentazocine injection, dihydrocodeine and promethazine tabs through some courier companies to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Thailand and Oman, were foiled by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI) attached to the logistics firms.
While 2.3kg of loud hidden in a carton was going to Thailand, 749 grammes of Tramadol concealed in soles of locally-made footwears were heading to Oman, with 60 ampoules of pentazocine injection going to the United States.
No less than 200 pills of Cocodamol were meant for Australia, while a total of 700 tablets of dihydrocodeine, promethazine and Tramadol, as well as 20 ampoules of pentazocine injection concealed in soles of footwears were heading to the United Kingdom.
Going to Canada were 58 ampoules of pentazocine injection hidden in female clothes.
Babafemi made it known that all the seizures in the courier houses were made between Monday and Tuesday, September 23 and 24 in Lagos.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 25th September arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Ajiboye Damilare Samuel (a.k.a Na God) after 12 months of evading arrest, following the raid of his warehouse at Akala, Mushin area of Lagos.
A total of 1,101 kilogrammes of Ghana Loud, which is said to be a strong strain of cannabis, was recovered on September 4, 2023.
The arrest of Ajiboye in a bank in Ogun State, according to the NDLEA spokesman, followed well-coordinated efforts by the Agency’s Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigation, which traced 20 bank accounts linked to the suspect and blocked them.
In a like manner, NDLEA operatives in Lagos on Friday, September 27, took into custody a wanted community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, following the arrest of his two wives, Hauwa and Asma’u, as well as his son, Sadat, and the seizure of a total of 226.2kg cannabis at their homes in Badagry on September 18.
In another operation in Lagos, no less than 9.7kg cannabis sativa and 50 litres of monkey tail, a fermented combo of cannabis and dry gin, were recovered from a suspect Florence Moses at Badore area of Ajah, Lekki on Tuesday, September 24.
In Kogi State, three suspects — Owolabi Dele, aged 42; Ayodele Monday, aged 40; and Olawale Ojo, 22 years old — were arrested by NDLEA operatives along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway while conveying 132 sacks of cannabis weighing 2,062.00kg in a Mercedes container truck from Osun State to Dei Dei in Abuja.
Another suspect, Benedict Simire, aged 57, was arrested at Ayetoro road, Kabba, conveying 33.40kg of same psychoactive substance and a pump action gun with six cartridges on Wednesday, September 25.
On the same day, operatives of the Marine Command of NDLEA intercepted a two 40HP Yamaha engines boat bearing 71 bags of Ghana Loud weighing 2,982kg along Alfa beach, Lekki area of Lagos.
Men of the Nigerian Customs Service Western Marine Command were on hand to support the NDLEA officers to recover the boat and exhibits after the two suspects in the boat dived into the water.
Also, on Wednesday, September 25, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, Rivers State intercepted 1,500 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup containing a total of 150,000 bottles during a joint examination of a targeted 40-foot container, with men of Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
While NDLEA operatives in Niger State recovered 6,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection from Chukwudi Nwanoche, aged 38, at the former Minna city gate, their counterparts in Kano arrested Aminu Danmanya, 31 years old, with 15,530 capsules of tramadol at Kano residential hotel, Katsina road.
In Plateau State, operatives on Friday, September 27, arrested a female suspect, Jummai Luka, aged 58, behind Jehovah Witness junction, Kabong, Jos North LGA, in possession of 12,000 pills of Tramadol while NDLEA officers in Oyo State on Tuesday, September 24, nabbed
Segun Asogba, 50, with 601kg cannabis sativa and a Dane gun in Igangan town.
In Katsina, two ex-convicts — Muhammad Machido, 44, and Zakari Ya’u Buhari, 32 — were again arrested by NDLEA operatives with illicit substances.
Thenewsbearer learnt that while Muhammad was nabbed along Kano-Katsina highway, Kankia, on Monday, September 23, with 51,000 pills of opioids, Zakari was arrested in Daura with 14 blocks of cannabis weighing 7kg.
It was further gathered that Zakari was first arrested on February 8 and sentenced by court to 15 months’ imprisonment with an option of N15,000 fine, which he paid.
In his case, Muhammad was earlier arrested with 45kg cannabis sativa and 2.5kg tramadol on December 12, 2022. He was then sentenced to two years imprisonment.
While Benjamin Benjamin Ebei, 33, was arrested at Biase LGA, Cross River State, with 38kg cannabis recovered from his vehicle, operatives in Edo sState on Thursday, September 24. raided a house along Okpuje road, Uzebba in Owan West LGA where they arrested a suspect,
Idonuan Ajilo, 53, and seized 112.5kg cannabis from his store.
Meanwhile, across the country, NDLEA Commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities all through the past week.
Instances included WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Government Girls Secondary School, Kafur, Katsina; students and teachers of Akinlade Primary School, Ajah, Lagos;
students of St. Patrick’s Secondary School, Ikot Ansa, Calabar, Cross River; and WADA advocacy lecture at the palace of Aree of Iree town,Osun State, Oba Muritala Oyelakin, among others.
Commending the officers and men of the Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) also applauded their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WADA sensitization lectures and advocacy messages to every part of their areas of responsibility.
