The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has foiled attempts by elements of organised crime groups to import illicit substances into Nigeria and export them to the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates via the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, and the Tincan seaport in Lagos.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi in a statement issued on Sunday, disclosed that no less than 37.5 kilograms of such illicit consignments were also intercepted in the past week, with the arrest of 11 suspects in interdiction operations that led to the seizure of almost four tons of skunk in Kaduna, Kano and Lagos state.
He said that at the Lagos airport, a freight agent Ogunsina Damilare was arrested on Friday 6th January following a bid to export 1.5 kilograms of skunk hidden in foodstuffs to Dubai, UAE through the SAHCO export shed of the MMIA.
According to Babafemi, a similar attempt to ship 11.5kgs of the same substance to the United Kingdom was also frustrated when the consignment concealed in a giant wooden sculpture was intercepted by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI) at a courier company in Lagos. “Curiously, the latter emanated from Ghana with London as the destination”, he said.
Babafemi stated that a shipment of 24.5 kilogrammes of cannabis indica to Nigeria from Montreal, Canada was intercepted by operatives at the Tincan port in Lagos, while an N8 million bribe offered by the importer to NDLEA officers has been secured in an account for the prosecution of the case.
He said, “While the importer, Cedrick Maduweke is still at large, one of his accomplices, Steve Isioma Adigwe has been arrested. The consignment was hidden in a used Toyota Sienna vehicle that arrived at the port along with three other cars in a container marked MSMU 5082733”.
In the same vein, a total of 3, 672 kilograms of cannabis sativa were recovered from two locations and five suspects were arrested in Kaduna during separate raid operations. “Arrested at a warehouse at Rido village on Wednesday 3rd January include: Edward Emmanuel, 28; and Miracle Madu, with 298 bags of C/S weighing 3,576kgs,” Babafemi said.
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He said that investigations revealed that the consignment was moved from a southern state to Kaduna in a petroleum product-bearing truck. “Also, two other suspects: Sunday Bassey, 29, and Jessica Daniel, 14, were nabbed with 96kgs of same substance at Gonin Gora area of the state, while Sanusi Isah, 30, was arrested on Saturday 7th January at Giwa area with over 12,000 tablets of Tramadol 225mg and Diazepam”.
In Kano, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 7th January intercepted Kabiru Abdulhamid, 40, with 119 blocks of C/S weighing 73kgs in the Semugu area.
Also, a total of 28,400 tablets of tramadol and over 230kgs of cannabis were seized in raid operations in Festac town and Lagos Island areas of Lagos state.
“Some of the suspects arrested in the Lagos raids include Rukayyat Eshinlokun; Pelumi Alejo and Banna Maina who specializes in the distribution of illicit drugs disguised as a dispatch rider”, Babafemi said.
In Imo state, a suspect, Amechi Moses was arrested in a follow-up operation on Friday 6th January following the interception of 29, 800 tablets of Tramadol 225mg in a commercial bus along Owerri – Onitsha road going to Aba in Abia state.
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