•As final year student hides imported liquid cannabis in degree certificate
A suspected fake soldier, Hayatu Galadima and his accomplice, Hamisu Adamu, have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) while conveying drugs, ammunition and communication equipment to bandits in Kaduna State.
They were arrested by a patrol team of NDLEA officers on Gwagwalada highway, Abuja, on Thursday, September 30, 2021, according to the NDLEA Drirector, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a release on Sunday, October 3.
Recovered from them were 21 RLA 7.45mm ammunition concealed in water bottle, 16 packs of new two-way radios (walkie-talkies), four army-colour head masks, wallet containing army identity card, one dollar, Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards of FCMB, First Bank, Ecobank, UBA, Skye Bank and wraps of cannabis sativa.
Other recovered items were tablets of Tramadol, packs of MTN, 9mobile and airtel SIM cards, iPhone 12 Pro, Samsung A31 and Nokia phones, seven Nigerian Army pass letters, five handbags, a sack containing personal belongings, and a gallon of palm oil.
Babafemi said that Galadima claimed to be a Lance Corporal serving in Ibadan, adding that they told NDLEA officers that they were taking the exhibits to Kaduna and Kano. However, preliminary investigation indicated that the suspects might have contact with bandits in the North West and were possibly moving the ammunition and the two-way radios to the bandits currently excommunicated due to the suspension of telecommunications services in Zamfara, Sokoto and Kaduna states.
Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) had directed the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the Agency, which made the arrest, to transfer the suspects to authorities of the Nigerian Army and another intelligence agency, which had earlier placed the two men on its watch list, for further investigation.
In another development, a final year student of Fine Arts and Design, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Mario Okiwelu, was arrested for importing five variants of liquid cannabis weighing 49.6 grammes from the United States.
He, with his accomplice, Precious Awuse, was arrested through controlled delivery around NIPOST area, Port Harcourt on Monday, September 27.
In the same vein, narcotic officers attached to some courier firms in Lagos State, seized different sizes of illicit drugs, including 40 grammes of cocaine, concealed in a University of Uyo degree certificate, going to Australia; 280 grammes of cannabis hidden in body cream bottles going to Cyprus; 400 grammes of Tramadol tablets tucked in plastic bottles heading to Australia and a kilogramme of Methamphetamine concealed in auto parts, with Hong Kong as destination.
Attempts by some traffickers to also import 20 cartons of Khat weighing 126.900 kilogrammes into Nigeria through the NAHCO import shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, were thwarted, with the consignment seized.
Similarly, on Wednesday, September 29, one Ibrahim Kale Sulyman was arrested during cargo search operations at SAHCO export shed, with
sachets of Tramadol weighing 76 grammes concealed inside black soap, heading to Dubai, UAE, recovered from him.
In Kaduna State, operatives arrested a widow, Aliya Idris on Saturday, September 25, in the house of a wanted drug dealer, Shamsu Boda at Joji road, Tudun Wada Zaria, during an operation at Boda’s house.
Found in her possession were 30 bottles of cough syrup with codeine and 20 sachets of Rophynol with gross weight of 4.2 kilogrammes and 77.5 grammes respectively.
In raids across Lagos on Wednesday, September 29, at least two drug dealers were arrested and over 1,213.2kg drugs seized. At Ikosi, Ketu, in Kosofe Local Government Area,
22-year-old Peter Prosper Onome from Isoko, Delta State, was arrested with 442 grammes of different types of drugs, including 426 grammes of Cannabis Sativa; 15 grammes of Colorado; six grammes of Cocaine; four grammes of Rohypnol and a gramme of Methamphetamine.
In Lekki, one Justin Clement, from Michika, Adamawa State was arrested with 500 grammes of Cannabis Sativa. Also, on the same day, officers of the Lagos Command of the Agency raided another notorious hideout in Petti, Lagos Island, where they recovered an abandoned 1,213.2kg of Cannabis Sativa.
Also reacting to the arrests and seizures, Gen. Marwa commended officers and men of all the NDLEA commands which carried out the operations for an outstanding performance in their areas of responsibility in the past week.
He charged them and their counterparts in other commands to remain vigilant and continue to exhibit the spirit and determination of the new NDLEA.
