• Intercepts major drug shipments across Nigeria
Felix Temitope, Abuja
DAILY COURIER - The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in a series of high-profile drug busts has made significant strides in its fight against drug trafficking and abuse across Nigeria.
According to a statement today signed by the agency's spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on August 12th, 2024, operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, arrested Paul Okwuy Mbadugha, a 54-year-old businessman, after he tested positive for ingesting cocaine. Mbadugha, who was attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Hanoi, Vietnam, egested 88 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.710 kilograms over four days under observation. He confessed to being given the drugs by a friend in Lagos for a fee of $2,000.
Meanwhile, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted 800 grams of synthetic cannabis, known as Loud, concealed in noodles destined for Congo. A follow-up operation at Alaba International Market led to the arrest of Nnamani Sunday Sunny, who deals in GSM handsets and was identified as the sender of the consignment. Additionally, a major consignment of Loud imported from Canada was seized at the Lagos airport. Desalu Taophic Temitope, who arrived on an Air France flight with six boxes, was arrested, and 65.80 kilograms of the psychoactive substance were recovered. Desalu admitted that he and an accomplice were promised $10,000 for delivering the shipment.
In another major operation, NDLEA operatives recovered 892,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup, valued at N6.2 billion, from five containers at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State. The containers, shipped from India, were examined jointly with the Nigeria Customs and other port stakeholders on August 14th and 15th.
The agency's efforts extended to the forests and roads of Ekiti and Enugu States. On August 14th, NDLEA operatives, supported by the Nigerian Army and community youths, raided the Ise forest reserve in Ise-Ekiti, destroying 21,800 kilograms of cannabis sativa on 20 hectares of farmland. The following day, officers intercepted a Sienna bus on the Onitsha-Enugu road, recovering 200.2 kilograms of cannabis and arresting the driver, Okoro Emmanuel.
In Ogun State, a raid on a six-hectare cannabis plantation at Alaka village on August 13th led to the arrest of 70-year-old Fidelis Egede and three others. In Abuja, 30,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection were recovered from a truck on the Kwali-Gwagwalada expressway, resulting in the arrest of three suspects. Further arrests were made in Niger and Kogi States, with significant quantities of tramadol and pentazocine injections seized.
Throughout the country, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization efforts, holding lectures and advocacy visits to schools, workplaces, worship centers, and communities. Highlights include lectures at the College of Nursing Science in Enugu, meetings with traditional rulers in Abia and Delta States, and advocacy visits to the Olowo of Owo in Ondo State.
Commending the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, PHPC, FCT, Kogi, Ogun, Ekiti, Kano, Enugu, and Niger Commands for their dedication, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), applauded their efforts in both the recent arrests and ongoing sensitization activities.
