Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 500 components used for the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Niger State and arrested a Cameroonian national transporting a consignment of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, in Kogi State.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who detailed several anti-narcotics operations carried out across different parts of the country.
According to the statement, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Mokwa–Jebba Road in Niger State intercepted a commercial bus travelling from Ibadan with a suspicious white sack containing 500 pieces of IED components.
The agency said the items were meant to be delivered to a recipient in Pelegi community.
“A swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of the recipient, Osama Abdullahi, 21, at Pelegi in Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State,” the statement said.
In another operation carried out on March 3, NDLEA officers patrolling the Kabba–Obajana highway in Kogi State intercepted a consignment of Colorado weighing 1.550 kilograms concealed inside a standing fan carton.
The drugs were traced to a 36-year-old Cameroonian national identified as Mey Ali Muhamat, who was travelling in a commercial bus from Lagos to Cameroon through Lokoja, Kano and Maiduguri. The suspect, who hails from Maroua, was immediately arrested.
In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA officers also arrested a businessman transporting a large quantity of controlled drugs concealed inside baby diapers.
Babafemi said the suspect, Emeka Hyginus Okwor, 32, was arrested on March 3 while travelling from Obollo-Afor to Zuba.
“When his luggage was searched, 1,000 pills of Tapentadol 250mg were found concealed inside baby diapers,” Babafemi said.
He added that the suspect admitted ownership of the drugs and revealed he was taking the consignment to Guduwa village in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State where he operates a provision store.
The NDLEA also recorded several other arrests and seizures across the country.
In Yola, operatives recovered about 122,000 pills of tramadol and 700 grams of methamphetamine hidden in the false bottom of a truck transporting 2,000 cartons of local drinks.
In Kano, officers arrested a 20-year-old suspect, Muhammed Ali, at Gadar Tamburawa with 11,283 pills of tramadol.
Similarly, in Ogun State, NDLEA operatives raided Ogere community and arrested two suspects, Nazifi Mudansir and Kabiru Musa, with 46 kilograms of skunk.
In Delta State, two suspects identified as Joy Chukwuma, 25, and Eugene Felix, 22, were arrested at Ogwashi-Uku on March 7 with 18.63 kilograms of skunk, 10.8 litres of codeine-based syrup and 4,268 pills of tramadol and swinol.
Meanwhile, in Edo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed large cannabis farms during an operation in Egbisi Forest located in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area.
Two suspects, Eke London, 48, and Austin Isusi, 49, were arrested during the raid where 1,910.25 kilograms of skunk cultivated on two farms were destroyed.
Another suspect, Alaba Adeboye, 47, was also arrested in Ikhin town in Owan East Local Government Area with 176.50 kilograms of skunk.
Reacting to the operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers across several state commands for their efforts in combating drug trafficking and related crimes.
He praised operatives in Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, Kano, Niger, Kogi, Edo, Ogun, Delta and Adamawa states for their dedication and professionalism.
Marwa urged officers to sustain the agency’s balanced strategy that combines enforcement operations with efforts to reduce drug demand across the country.
“I commend the officers and men of the various commands for the arrests, seizures and the level of professionalism displayed,” he said. “I encourage them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the agency.”
