NDLEA, ARMY ARREST FIVE SUSPECTED DRUG DEALERS IN BENIN, SEIZE TRAMADOL, OTHER ILLICIT SUBSTANCES

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Edo State Command, in a joint operation with the Nigerian Army, has arrested five suspected drug dealers, including a patent medicine vendor and a supermarket owner, in Benin City.

The Edo State Commander of the NDLEA, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Benin, saying the arrests were carried out during intelligence-led operations across identified drug hotspots in the state capital.

According to Ofoyeju, the coordinated raids led to the recovery of a large cache of illicit drugs, including 11,297 capsules of tramadol.

The suspects arrested were identified as Akam Theophilus, 46, a patent medicine vendor; Ashitor Godfrey, 25, a supermarket owner; Asemota Endurance, 23; Franklin Kijie, 25; and Smart Ekhaitor, 39.

Ofoyeju said the arrests took place at strategic locations in Benin City, including a patent medicine shop near the Nigerian Army School of Supply and Transport barracks, a supermarket opposite Ekenwan Barracks, and the Obagie area off Sapele Road.

Items allegedly recovered from the suspects include 11,297 capsules of tramadol, 400 tablets of diazepam, 108 tablets of Swinol, 22 tablets of Danabol (also known as “Molly”), 3.685 kilogrammes of cannabis, 181 grammes of Loud, seven grammes of methamphetamine, and 10 bottles of codeine cough syrup.

The NDLEA commander said the operation was in line with the directive of the agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), to rid Edo State of drug-related criminal activities.

“I have been mandated by the Chairman to take drug criminals out of Edo State. Drugs are a catalyst for crime. Anyone hiding under the canopy of a patent medicine shop or a supermarket to peddle tramadol, Swinol, diazepam, codeine cough syrup and cannabis will not go unpunished,” Ofoyeju said.

He added that the arrest of the suspects sends a strong warning to drug dealers that there is no safe haven for them anywhere in the state.

On their part, the Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Army School of Supply and Transport, Major General M. Hassan, and the Commander of the Nigerian Army 4 Brigade, Brigadier General A. O. Balogun, reaffirmed the Army’s support for the NDLEA.

They warned that drug traffickers, especially those operating around military formations, would have no hiding place.