NDLEA arrests Italy-bound physically challenged person for drug trafficking at Lagos airport
• Arrests eight suspected bandits with explosives in Ondo forest, businesswoman in Abuja
• Invades crystal meth network in Agbara, recovers over 1.2million tramadol tabs in Gombe, others
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 53-year-old physically challenged man, Ehiarimwiam Osaromo Emmanuel, at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos for drug trafficking.
Ehiarimwiam , an indigene of Orhionmwon Local Council of Edo State, was arrested on Sunday, August 28, on his way to Italy, via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight.
He was found to have concealed 5,000 tablets of tramadol 225mg in his luggage.
NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, yesterday, said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is a frequent traveller, who often travels with lots of bags containing mainly food items, body cream, hair attachment and drinks.
The suspect was said to have presented his usual large consignment to NDLEA operatives for search, but held on to some packages, which were retrieved from him and properly searched during which the drugs were discovered.
According to Babafemi, NDLEA operatives on Monday, August 29, also raided a suspected clandestine laboratory at Opic Estate, Agbara, Lagos.
The raid, he said was part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to demobilise and dismantle all organised criminal groups behind the production and distribution of crystal methamphetamine across the country
“Clues from the property led operatives to another in the vicinity where one Peter James was apprehended with some quantity of the substance. A follow up operation within the estate also led to the arrest of a meth dealer, Mathew Bobby Imonitie, who was caught with 4.033kilogrammes of the illicit substance.
“A raid at a rented apartment in Raji Rasaki First estate in Festac town, Lagos on Saturday, August 27, led to the seizure of 412,780 tablets of tramadol and the arrest of one of the suspects involved, Kingsley Duru.
“In the same vein, troops of 81 Division of the Nigerian Army have handed over to the Lagos Command of NDLEA, 792 blocks of Cannabis sativa smuggled from the Volta region of Ghana into Ogun State, but intercepted at a checkpoint along the Ilaro-Benin Republic border,” Babafemi said.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives on Thursday, September 1, intercepted a truck conveying animal feeds from Lagos to Kaduna with 449 compressed blocks and 111 bags of Cannabis sativa weighing 1,531kg belonging to a dealer in Zaria.
The drug consignment was said to have been loaded into the truck in Akure, Ondo State. The truck driver, Yahaya Sani, his assistant Samaila Rabiu, his motor boy Bilal Ibrahim, representative of the cannabis owner, Awolu Isyaku as well as a passenger. Mustapha Abdulrahman were all arrested.
In Gombe State, operatives intercepted 811,000 tablets of tramadol, Diazepam and Exol 5 weighing 150kg in a vehicle loaded in Onitsha, Anambra State at the Ahmadu-Kafi area of Gombe.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives combing the Ala forest in Akure North Local Council for a drug lord, intercepted eight suspected bandits terrorising farmers in the area. Those arrested include: Austin Dickson, 47, who is the gang leader; Sunday Adekunle, 31; Kayode Oluwaseun, 29; Kolawole Kazeem, 33; Oladimeji Makinde, 37; Emeka Charles, 46; Ojo Oluwadare, 40; and Lanre Oluwajana, 44.
The suspected bandits were nabbed on Friday, September 2. Recovered from them include: 25bags of Cannabis sativa weighing 296kgs; six explosive devices; six cartridges; four motorcycles and assorted charms used in terrorising farmers in the forest.
In Sokoto State, operatives on Saturday, September 3, intercepted a commercial bus from which two five CD loader players were recovered along Sokoto-Bodinga road.
Upon search, 5.5kgs of Cannabis sativa were discovered inside the CD players and the owner, Nasiru Ibrahim arrested while in another bus, a suspected bandit Sani Ibrahim, 37, was arrested with some ammunition and Cannabis sativa along Kware road.
SIMILARLY, an Abuja businesswoman, Onyinye Nwoke, 38, has been arrested following an intelligence-led raid at her residence, House 56 Aldenco Estate, Galadimawa, where operatives uprooted fresh stems of Cannabis sativa plants grown at the backyard of the house. The uprooted plants weighed 18.4kgs while 800 grammes of cannabis seeds were also recovered from the house.
MEANWHILE, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Retd), has commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Lagos, Niger, Sokoto, Ondo, FCT and Gombe Commands for the arrests and seizures.
He charged them and their compatriots across the country to intensify the heat on drug cartels in Nigeria while balancing their efforts on supply reduction with drug demand reduction activities.
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