Spread the word
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a Saudi Arabia-bound consignment of cannabis concealed in a gallon of palm oil at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, while uncovering 8,725 kilogrammes of powdered tramadol worth more than N6.98 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The agency also arrested an 85-year-old grandmother in Edo State over alleged cannabis possession and seized large consignments of illicit drugs in Lagos, Ondo, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The NDLEA disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, operatives at the Kano airport intercepted a female passenger, Fatimah Ahmad, on Friday, October 16, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa.
A search of her luggage revealed 511.75 grammes of cannabis, popularly known as skunk, concealed in a gallon of palm oil.
The suspect reportedly told operatives that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, gave her the gallon. Yahaya was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives uncovered 8,725 kilogrammes of powdered tramadol hydrochloride at the APM terminals in Apapa.
The consignment, imported from India and declared as maize starch, was discovered on October 2 during a joint examination involving the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies.
A confirmatory test at the agency’s forensic laboratory established that the substance was tramadol hydrochloride powder.
The shipment was separated from its concealment on October 14 and found to comprise 349 bags, with an estimated street value exceeding N6.98 billion.
At the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, operatives on October 12 discovered 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, valued at N165 million.
The substance was packed in brown cartons and concealed inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle shipped in a 40-foot container.
The agency also raided Idumota Market on October 14, arresting Elizabeth Chidera Kalu and recovering 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly from her store.
In Mushin, two 35-year-old suspects, Idowu Daudu and Ahmed Oniyinde, were arrested on October 15 with 59.95 kilogrammes and 61.23 kilogrammes of skunk respectively.
In another operation, operatives intercepted a truck along Iyana Oba following intelligence about illicit drugs being transported from Trade Fair Market.
The operation led to the arrest of the truck’s loading manager, Tajudeen Adeduntan, and his assistant, Azeez Sikiru. A search of the vehicle uncovered 18,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide.
In Edo state, NDLEA operatives arrested six suspects during raids in Warake, Ivhiaro and Ewe/Irue communities in Owan East Local Government Area between October 15 and 16.
Among those arrested was 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, who was allegedly found with 179 kilogrammes of skunk in Warake.
Other suspects included Ayo Aigberadion, 53, allegedly found with 220.8 kilogrammes of cannabis at Ewe/Irue; Ali Garba, 57, with 5.852 kilogrammes; Habib Braimoh, 45, with 100 grammes; Musa Mubid, 35, with two kilogrammes of cannabis, cannabis seeds, tramadol, Swinol and diazepam; and Hope Okoro, 35, with 237 grammes of Loud.
In Ondo State, operatives raided a cannabis farm in Okemoro Isinbode Camp Forest on October 17, destroying an estimated 7,500 kilogrammes of skunk cultivated on three hectares of land.
Five suspects were arrested during the operation.
The agency said operatives also recovered 92 bags of skunk weighing 1,267 kilogrammes, 11 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds and three kilogrammes of fresh cannabis stems, bringing the weight of the recovered exhibits to 1,281 kilogrammes.
In a separate operation in Owo, a 53-year-old suspect, Okunebe Ndidi, was arrested at his hideout in Ameyinti, where 25 bags of cannabis weighing 375 kilogrammes were recovered.
In Bauchi state, operatives intercepted a Volkswagen Golf wagon driven by Shamsu Garba, 35, at Ragwam village in Katagum Local Government Area on October 14.
A search reportedly led to the recovery of 894,800 pills and tablets of tramadol capsules and Exol-5.
On the same day, operatives patrolling the Bauchi-Gombe Road recovered 291 blocks of cannabis weighing 265 kilogrammes from an abandoned vehicle at Tudun Natsira village.
In Kano state, two suspects, Ali Abdullahi, 38, and Ibrahim Adamu, 23, were arrested along the Zaria-Kano Road on October 13 with 30,100 tablets of tramadol 225mg.
Another suspect, 54-year-old Murtala Dayyabu, was arrested at Niger Street, Malan Kato, on October 14 with 100,000 tablets of Exol-5.
In Kaduna State, three suspects were arrested during a raid at Kayimi village, with 496.5 kilogrammes of cannabis recovered.
They were identified as Mohammed Sani, 48; Zaharadeen Shafiu, 29; and Yakubu Abdullahi, 20.
Another suspect, John Ayo David, 39, was arrested at Food Palace, Ali Akilu Road, with 49,500 tablets of tramadol 225mg.
In the FCT, operatives arrested 42-year-old Odo Jonas Ejike in the Utako area on October 17 with 29,500 capsules of tramadol.
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said its commands and formations sustained their War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities across the country.
The outreach activities included lectures at schools in Oyo, Gombe, Lagos, Kogi, Cross River, Edo and Kano states, as well as the Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology in Port Harcourt.
Commending officers and men of the Apapa, Tin Can, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Kano and FCT commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged them to sustain the intelligence-led operations against drug trafficking networks.
Marwa also called for the continuation of the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with public education and drug abuse prevention.
Spread the word