By Uzor Odigbo
Operatives of the Nigerian Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an Italy-bound passenger, Abibu Miminu, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airways flight to Italy via Addis-Ababa for ingesting illicit drugs, at the Lagos airport.
While under observation at the Agency’s facility between Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th August 2021, the trafficker excreted 68 wraps of heroin in three excretions, all weighing 800grams.
In the same vein, narcotic officers of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation have intercepted at two courier companies in Lagos 840 grams of Methamphetamine going to Australia and concealed in packages, which include; 340 grams of Meth hidden in locally made footwear going to Australia and 1 kilogram of cocaine coming from Ghana with the UK as destination and concealed in four local guitars.
Also seized from one of the courier firms is another 480grams of Meth concealed in footwear and going to Australia.
Meanwhile, a South Africa returnee, Obi Chigozie Samuel, was also last Sunday arrested at the Lagos airport during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines from Addis-Ababa, for importing 58grams of skunk into Nigeria. During the preliminary interview, he admitted ownership and claimed to be a cannabis smoker.
In strings of operations in Edo, Ondo, Kaduna, Kano and Kogi states, at least 2,504.8 kilograms of diverse illicit drugs were seized from multiple suspects in the past week.
In Kogi, 60-year-old Mrs Comfort Uzor was arrested with 62.1kg cannabis on Tuesday, 17th August 2021 in Lokoja, where one Dayyabu Usman was also caught with 8kg of the same substance.
While Uzor sourced hers from Bolorunduro in Ondo state and was heading to Abuja, Usman got his from Lagos and was taking it to Kano for sale.
In Kaduna State, operatives of the Birnin Gwari Area Command of the Agency raided the home of one Mr Joseph Sunday at Ungwan Pama, Kaduna where they recovered 48.3kg of cannabis from his room following credible intelligence.
In Edo state, NDLEA officers on Tuesday 17th August stormed the Ugbuwe forest in Ovia North East LGA, where they seized 146 bags of cannabis Sativa weighing 2,044 kilograms, while in Kano state, one Ikechukwu Aleke was arrested with 30,000 tablets of Tramadol, 225mg and 99 bottles of Codeine syrup, in addition to the arrest of one Muktar Muhammad, with 370 bottles of Codeine cough syrup, weighing 60.4kg, as well as 900 tablets of Rohypnol.
Also arrested in Kano was Sufiyanu Abubakar, 24, with 400 plastic bottles of Codeine cough syrup weighing 52kg as well as one Mutta Hassan Wada, who specializes in using courier firms to send drugs to a recipient in China, using cooking spices bottles for concealment.
In Ondo state, over 77.5kilograms of cannabis and monkey tail were intercepted on Saturday 21st August at Odigbo town in Odigbo LGA, where operatives arrested one Basiru Ijiniga.
Also arrested on Saturday was Ibrahim Umaru in the Sabo area of Akure South LGA. Recovered from him include different quantities of psychotropic substances like Diazepam, Tramadol, Swinol and Rophynol.
Reacting to the strings of arrests and seizures in the past week across some states and the MMIA, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the various commands for their unrelenting commitment to the presidential mandate to clear Nigerian forests and communities of illicit drugs in whatever form.
“We have all laid our hands on the plough, there’s no looking back, no retreat or surrender and as such I urge all our officers and men to intensify the ongoing offensive action until the last gram of illicit drug is taken away from merchants of death,” Gen. Marwa stated on Sunday.