Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested three persons with disabilities for drug trafficking.
The anti narcotics agency also uncovered a N5.8 billion drug stash in Lagos.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, at the NDLEA Headquarters disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday.
He said the operatives arrested the three persons with disabilities in separate anti-narcotics operations across Anambra and Kwara states in an intensified crackdowns on drug trafficking networks nationwide.
He said that the arrests came as NDLEA agents also uncovered a massive drug stash in Lekki, Lagos, where over N5.8 billion worth of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, was seized from a residential property allegedly used as a distribution hub.
According to the statement, among those arrested was 60-year-old Romanus Nwabara, who was apprehended inside Akpaka Forest in Onitsha, Anambra State, after NDLEA operatives traced him to the location through intelligence gathering.
Officers recovered 250 grams of skunk packaged in retail sachets during the operation carried out on May 6.
He stated further that, in another raid conducted in Ogbunike area of Anambra on May 7, officers arrested 25-year-old Amos Kenneth and recovered 160.3 grams of Tramadol, 225mg and 100mg variants, 80 pills of Diazepam, 38.23 grams of Exol-5 and 176.93 grams of skunk.
He added that third suspect, identified as Usman Salisu, was arrested in Kwara State when NDLEA operatives intercepted a commercial vehicle during a patrol along Bode Saadu on May 8. Officers discovered 6.3 kilograms of skunk concealed inside a brown school bag belonging to the suspect.
Babafemi stated further that in Lagos, operatives attached to the agency’s Special Operations Unit raided a mansion located at 36 African Lane, Lekki Phase 1, where they recovered 4,000 parcels of Loud weighing 2,326 kilograms.
The agency said the seized drugs carried an estimated street value of N5.815 billion.
Two Mercedes-Benz buses and multiple designer packaging sachets allegedly intended for retail distribution were also recovered from the property during the operation carried out on May 8.
He noted that, elsewhere, NDLEA officers arrested Emmanuel Osita Okeke with 129 kilograms of skunk in Nyanya-Karu, Nasarawa State, while another operation along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State led to the interception of a commuter bus conveying 766 kilograms of skunk hidden inside 76 jumbo bags.
Three suspects; Mathew Omohove, Ebuka Desmond and Babangida Musa were arrested in connection with the Kogi seizure.
The agency also dismantled a makeshift skuchies production factory in the Ijora Badia area of Lagos, where two suspects, Bose Jamiu and Gbenga Gege, were caught allegedly mixing cannabis with other illicit substances.
He added that NDLEA operatives recovered 270 litres of already processed skuchies and 106 grams of Tramadol during the raid.
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said its commands across the country had continue to carry out War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, religious centres and communities in states including Nasarawa, Ekiti, Enugu, Abia, Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Kano and Oyo.
He quoted the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, as having commended officers involved in the operations.
Marwa was also said to have urged commands nationwide to sustain the agency’s ongoing anti-drug enforcement and awareness campaigns.
