By Femi Anamelechi
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in their renewed determination to curb drug trafficking, made a massive burst of these criminals Nationwide, the Agency also arrested two brothers, John Abugu, 43, and Kenneth Abugu, 31, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, for attempting to smuggle 5kg of cocaine concealed in their suitcases. The arrest was as a result of intelligence gathered by the agency’s Special Operations Unit. In a release by the NDLEA, the brothers claimed they were traveling to India for medical treatment.Consequent upon which a thorough search of their luggage revealed whitish powdery substances hidden in the walls of their bags and later confirmed to be cocaine. In a related development on the same day, Parker Darren Hazekia Osei, a 20-year-old Ghanaian-British national, was intercepted at the E-arrival hall of MMIA with 36 parcels of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighing 19.40kg. The illegal substance was packed inside a large traveling bag.
In his statement the suspect claimed he is a Computer Science student at East London University, UK, and said he resides with his parents in the UK. “I left London about a week ago for Bangkok, where I picked up the illicit drug consignment to deliver in Nigeria.”The anti Drug Agency also arrested Ngozi Ogili, 33, who was caught transporting 3kg of methamphetamine from Lagos to Abuja in a commercial bus along the Okene-Lokoja highway. in another intelligent swoop at the Apo Mechanic area of Abuja led to the seizure of quantities of Loud and Colorado, both synthetic cannabis variants. Meanwhile in Abia State, a 75 year old grandfather, Nna Nnanna Felix, was arrested, with 1.6kg of skunk in Umunteke Asa, Ukwa West LGA. Another David Chinemerem, 21, was caught with 2,050 ampoules of pentazocine at 7 Nnajiego Lane, Umuode Road, Aba. In Yobe State, 381 bottles of codeine syrup and 108 tablets of tramadol were recovered from Abdullahi Adamu along the Potiskum-Damaturu road on April 5. The NDLEA operatives continued raids in Osogbo motor park, Onitsha, and Oba in Idemili LGA of Anambra led to the arrest of Obinna Sunday and the seizure of 195,000 tramadol pills.
Another suspect, Ugochukwu Ojalanonye, was caught with 4.2kg of codeine syrup and 5.4kg of pentazocine. In another massive scoop a combined team of NDLEA operatives and the Nigerian Army raided Esuk-Odot community in Odukpani LGA of Cross River State, destroying over 250,000kg of cannabis cultivated across 100 hectares of farmland. Two women, Faith Effiong Etim, 64, and Victoria Asuquo Etim, 40, were arrested during the operation. In FCT Abuja, NDLEA operatives arrested Sunday Ayogu, 51, with 25kg of skunk and 90.4g of methamphetamine. The resilient NDLEA formations across Nigeria also intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitization activities.
These included educational lectures at Cave City Secondary School, Ogidi (Anambra), outreach to Dan’iyau village in Batagarawa LGA (Katsina), and engagement with the Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers in Sangere and Kwanan Waya (Yola, Adamawa). Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, commended the agency’s personnel for their coordinated efforts across the country. “Their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country, especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts, are well appreciated,” he stated.
