NDLEA intercepts 3 trailer loads of opioids, seizes 3.5million pills, 344,000 codeine bottles

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted three trailer loads of opioids comprising three million four hundred and fifty thousand (3,450,000) pills and three hundred and forty-four thousand (344,000) bottles of codeine syrup at Abule Ado in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos state where three suspects were also arrested in connection with the seizure.

The multi-billion naira consignments were loaded into two 40-ft container trucks and another 20-ft truck at the AML bonded terminal, Abule-Osun, near the International Trade Fair complex before heading to a large warehouse at Abule-Ado where NDLEA officers eventually arrested the suspects and recovered the opioid consignments on Thursday 9^th May 2024.

Those arrested include the warehouse agent, Cosmas Obiajulu, 51; Ridwan Balogun, 25, and Banjo Tayo, 30, both drivers of two of the trucks while the third driver jumped off to escape arrest.

In the same vein, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 7^th May arrested a suspect, Nwankwo Ejike in Coker area of Lagos where 100 litres of codeine syrup were recovered from him while 60 litres of the same substance were seized from Clinton Akinye in the same area same day. Not less than 37.5kg of cannabis sativa loaded in a Toyota camry car was recovered from another suspect, Adegbola Segun, 47, when the car was intercepted at Mile 12 area of Lagos on Monday 6^th May.

Another consignment of opioids consisting of 59,106 pills of tramadol and different quantities of codeine syrup and rohypnol being taken across the border to Garua, Cameroon was intercepted by NDLEA officers on Monday 6^th May along Mubi-Yola road, Adamawa state. Two suspects linked to the drugs: Abubakar Auwal, 39, and  Adamu Abubakar, 25, (a.k.a Bamanga), a trans-border trafficker who was to take the consignment from Mubi across to Cameroon were promptly arrested.

In Edo state, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 11^th May raided the Iguiye forest in Ovia North East LGA, where a total of 11, 636.185kg cannabis was destroyed on three farms measuring 4.654474 hectares, while additional 188kg of the same psychoactive substance was recovered and a suspect, Itah Nyong was arrested during the overnight operation.

A 75-year-old grandpa, Jibril Audu was on Friday 10^th May arrested with 7.5 kilograms of cannabis at Oke-asa village,  Ijero-Ekiti, Ekiti state during a raid operation, while a 70-year-old grandma, Tikwase Nytor was nabbed  with 15.6kg of same substance on Thursday 9^th May during a raid operation at Achusa and International Market road, Makurdi, Benue state.

The NDLEA Commands across the country balanced their drug supply reduction operations with War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaigns to schools, markets, worship centres and communities. Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture to: Muslim faithful at Sultan Bello Jummat Mosque, Kaduna; students of Oduduwa University and Oduduwa Polytechnic, Ipetumodu, Osun; students of Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (Boys Section), Kano; students of Federal University of Technology, Babura, Jigawa; students of Father Tansi International  College,  Okpuno Awka, Anambra; WADA advocacy visit to Delta state First Lady Deaconess Tobore Oborevwori and similar advocacy visit to the Founder City of God cathedral, Cardinal James Omolaja Odunmbaku who was joined by Ojodu LCDA Chairman, Hon. Segun Odunmbaku in Ojodu area of Lagos state.

While commending the efforts of the Lagos, Edo, Ekiti, Benue and Adamawa Commands of the Agency for jobs well done in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) assured that officers and men of the Agency will continue to work with local and international partners to ensure that the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking is brought to the barest minimum in Nigeria.

Femi Babafemi

Director, Media & Advocacy

NDLEA Headquarters Abuja

Sunday 12^th May 2024