NDLEA SEIZES DRUGS WORTH OVER N10BN, RECOVERS 401 ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION
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By: Fasasi Hammad
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has intercepted cocaine and other illicit drugs worth more than ₦10 billion in a series of operations across the country, while also recovering 401 rounds of military-grade ammunition hidden in kegs of palm oil.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, NDLEA operatives arrested a 55-year-old businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, who allegedly attempted to export 3.30kg of cocaine concealed inside the walls of cartons used to package food items destined for the United Kingdom.
The cocaine was intercepted at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on July 22.
Investigations initially led to the arrest of three cargo agents—Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim—before officers apprehended Kenneth Okakpu, who allegedly delivered the consignment for export.
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Further intelligence identified Onuigbo as the alleged leader of the trafficking syndicate. He was arrested on July 23 while allegedly attempting to ship another cocaine consignment to the UK.
In another operation, NDLEA officers arrested 31-year-old entrepreneur Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo at her Surulere residence after intercepting a 2.80kg consignment of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, that arrived from the United States on a United Airlines flight.
The agency also recovered 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg, valued at more than ₦2.2 billion, during a joint inspection of cargo imported from India aboard an Air Maroc flight at the Lagos airport.
In a separate seizure, operatives intercepted tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap intended for export to the United Kingdom.
At the Apapa Seaport, NDLEA uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5kg and valued at over ₦7.1 billion. The drugs were hidden inside three vehicles loaded in a shipping container.
In Katsina State, operatives arrested Mustapha Sani, 30, during a patrol in Baure, Safana Local Government Area, with 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition, including 200 rounds ofhttps://hotjist.com/joshua-overcomes-two-knockdowns-to-defeat-prenga/ 7.62mm and 123 rounds of 7.6mm ammunition.
Another suspect, Abubakar Amadu, also 30, was arrested along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition concealed in kegs of red palm oil.
The agency said both suspects had been handed over to the appropriate security authorities for further investigation.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Ilushi, Esan South-East Local Government Area, where they recovered 1,286kg of cannabis and 86kg of cannabis seeds.
Two other suspects, Ojore Onweze, 45, and George Agwumede, 30, were separately arrested with 60kg and 13kg of skunk, respectively.
Babafemi added that the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) awareness campaign in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities across the country, including outreach programmes in Niger, Kano and Lagos states.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged personnel nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control and enforcement.
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