Two hidden drug stores in Lagos State were raided by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), leading to the arrest of a pregnant woman, Eze Joy Chioma, on Friday, December 17, 2021, as she was caught with 1,442 kilogrammes of imported skunk.
Four men, including a 62-year-old Basset Emmanuel, were also nabbed with 182,000 tablets of Tramadol.
The 27-year-old pregnant woman was apprehended when operatives raided her store and home in Ojo area of Lagos, according to the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, while another suspect, Michael Oroke, was also nabbed with 29kg of the in illicit drug in the same location.
Babafemi disclosed that on the previous day, December 16, operatives had equally raided a hideout in Abule-Egba area of the state where Basset Emmanuel, Ezekwem Lawrence, Mohammed Aliyu, and Suwidi Isiaku were arrested with 182,000 tablets of Tramadol 225mg.
“In similar raids across eight other states of Rivers, Kogi, Benue, Adamawa, Anambra, Edo, Ekiti and Ondo, over 4,000 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs were seized.
“On Saturday, December 18, during a routine stop and search exercise on Aba/Port Harcourt highway, by Obigbo, operatives intercepted a consignment of Tramadol in a commercial Toyota Hiace bus, with a waybill addressed to one Shadrach Udechukwu.
“A follow up operation led to Udechukwu’s arrest and different quantities of Heroin, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Cannabis Sativa, Tramadol, Exol-5, Swinol, and Diazepam recovered from him.
“In Kogi State, one Timi Sunday was arrested with 95.945kg of cannabis at Egba town, and Musa Sani with 10.5kg cannabis along Okene-Lokoja highway, while
Yaro Bala was arrested with 65kg cannabis on the same road.
“No fewer than 20,000 capsules of Tramadol coming from Onitsha, Anambra State were seized in Otukpo, Benue and a suspect arrested, while in Adamawa, a search operation in a house at Ajiya street, Jimeta led to the arrest of a female suspect, Maryam Yunusa with 16 pinches of Cocaine.
“A raid at Success line, Marine modern market, Onitsha led to the seizure of 234kg cannabis and a suspect arrested, while in Edo state Francis Eferi was arrested in Okpuje, Owan west LGA with 481kg cannabis and Emmanuel Amu with 81kg cannabis at Sobe,” Babafemi said.
He went further: “In Ekiti, 1,420kg cannabis was recovered from Ara in Ikole LGA, while in Akure, Ondo State, operatives arrested one Mrs. Grace Henry in her residence at Itamo Igoba, with 573kg cannabis. In other parts of the state, 450kg cannabis was seized along Ipele-Idoani road, and 420.5kg cannabis at Ogkogu camp, Ipele, both in Owo LGA.”
In his comment, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the nine state commands for their resilience and charged them not to relent.