• Intercepts drug consignments in car compartments, bus tyre
• Recovers 426,888 pills of tramadol
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 20-year-old hair stylist, Josephine Odunu and a dispatch rider, Edesemi Ikporo, 30, for selling and distributing illicit drug-laced chin-chin to school students and at social parties in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Confirming the development yesterday, spokesperson for the agency, Femi Babafemi, said NDLEA officers on patrol around Opolo area of Yenagoa had on Sunday, March 20, intercepted the motorcycle dispatch rider, Edesemi and recovered 200 grammes of chin-chin produced with Cannabis sativa, which he was on a mission to deliver to a buyer .
According to him, a swift follow up operation led to the arrest of the hairdresser, Josephine, who distributes the drugged chin-chin from the salon where she works in Kpansia area of Yenagoa.
“A search of the salon also led to the recovery of 3.00kilograms bringing the total weight of the illicit substance seized from the duo to 3.2kg.
“Investigations reveal that they distribute the chin-chin often laced with cannabis and tramadol to students and at birthday parties.
“While Edesemi handles the delivery to buyers, Josephine is a major distributor to a wanted suspect who produces the drugged chin-chin,” Babafemi said.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives in Adamawa State on Wednesday, March 13, arrested two wanted suspects: Ajim Samuel (aka Boss), 30, and Davidson John Joshua (aka Dantala), 36.
They were arrested while on their way from Onitsha, Anambra State where they had gone to buy a consignment of tramadol containing 14,428 pills of the opioid.
They tucked the drugs in the body compartments of their black Honda Civic car marked YLA 623 SL. They were nabbed along Numan-Jalingo road. Also recovered from them were 21grammes of cannabis and monetary exhibits totaling N19,280.
In Osun State, a commercial bus driver, Ogunleye Adegoke, 49, was arrested along Gbongan-Ibadan road following the discovery of 2,000 capsules of tramadol, 60 tablets of rohypnol and 10 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in the spare tyre compartment of his vehicle by the NDLEA operatives.
While a total of 343,000 pills of opioids were seized by NDLEA officers from a suspect, Lawan Abubakar, 33, in Azare town, Katagum, Bauchi State on Friday, March 15, same day the Nigerian Army transferred a suspect, Muhammadu Rabi’u, 37, with 64,000 pills of tramadol recovered from him to the Bauchi State command of NDLEA.
At least, 24kg of cannabis was seized from the driver of a transport company, Ikechukwu Obialo, at Sagamu Interchange, Ogun State by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, March 13, while in Kano, two suspects: Ali Amadu, 27, and Adamu Hassan, 33, were nabbed with a total of 125.3kg cannabis; 3,400 pills of tramadol; and 30 bottles of codeine syrup.They were arrested on Monday, March 11, at Gadar Tamburawa area, and Friday, March 15, at Tsamiya Babba, Hotoro respectively.
Also, 118 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered from a warehouse in Masaka area of Nasarawa State on Saturday, March 16. The NDLEA operatives in Edo State earlier on Thursday, March 14 arrested a suspect, Kole Samuel, 50, with 75kg of same psychoactive substance at market area, Otuo, Owan East Local Council.
Same day, operatives raided the Oloma-Okpe forest in Akoko Edo Local Council where they destroyed 3,944.2075 kilogrammes of cannabis on 1.577683 hectares of farmland.
With the same vigour, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign in the past week.
Meanwhile, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd) has commended the officers and men of the Bayelsa, Adamawa, Osun, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Edo, Kano, and Ogun Commands of the Agency for their outstanding feats in the past week. He also applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures, thus creating a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
