The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a series of arrests and seizures in its ongoing fight against drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria.
In a statement released on Monday, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the agency’s operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, intercepted a consignment of Colorado, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden in boxing kits imported from the United States on New Year’s Day.
He said the agency tracked and arrested the receiver of the shipment, Olorunfunmi Olakunle, 38, who distributed the substance to dealers across Lagos State. According to a report by Punch, Olakunle’s childhood friend, Sagir Salami, who is based in the US, sent a shipment that weighed 1.80 kilograms.
Ammunition Supplier to Bandits Arrested
On Wednesday, January 3, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Zaria–Kano Expressway arrested Bilkisu Suleman (28), a female ammunition supplier to bandits. She was found in possession of 249 rounds of 7.62 mm live ammunition concealed in a black nylon bag kept in her handbag.
The female supplier was on her way to deliver the ammunition to a bandit in Kakumi village, Katsina State when she was nabbed. Officials transferred her to the Kaduna State Command of the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation.
Other Arrests and Seizures
The NDLEA spokesperson also disclosed that the military authorities at the Bonny Camp Cantonment in Lagos transferred a suspect, Francis Suru, 37, and 63 jumbo bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 2,104.2 kilograms and a truck to the Lagos State Command of the NDLEA on Tuesday, January 2.
Furthermore, On December 12, 2023, NDLEA officers intercepted the suspect and the drug exhibits near the gate of the military cantonment in Bonny Camp, Victoria Island. However, some armed escorts tried to obstruct the operation by shooting sporadically, which attracted soldiers from the cantonment, who intervened and took custody of the consignment and suspect before transferring them to the agency.
In Niger State, the NDLEA operatives intercepted a J5 bus coming from Ondo State to Zaria, Kaduna State, with 23 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 219.5kg on Thursday, January 5.
Also, officials arrested Queen Onyema (27), a female drug trafficker, on Saturday, January 6, while she was traveling to Abuja in a commercial bus along the Okene-Lokoja Expressway. They found 12 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 4.6 kilograms and 0.046 kilograms of designer drugs concealed in an Indomie carton that was in her possession.
On Monday, January 1, law enforcement officials arrested Mubarak Sani, 20, at the Gadar Tamburawa area of Kano State for possessing 445.9 kilograms of cannabis.
Law enforcement officials arrested four suspects, Zanna Alhaji Dala (32), Musa Umar (21), Mushe Ibrahim (23), and Shehu Idris (19), at the Pomfomari Bye-pass area of Borno State for possessing 60 kilograms of cannabis.
In Osun State, the NDLEA operatives seized a consignment of illicit drugs sent through waybill from Lagos to Osogbo on January 1. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of Ibrahim Olawale, 43. The drugs recovered include cannabis sativa 10.8kg; Loud 150 grams; Colorado 19 grams; Molly 5 grams totaling 10.974kg, a digital scale, N18,000 monetary exhibit, and customised wrapping papers for Colorado.
NDLEA’s Commitment to Drug-Free Nigeria
The NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers and men of the agency for their diligence and professionalism in carrying out their duties. He urged them to remain vigilant and proactive in intercepting and disrupting the activities of drug traffickers and abusers in the country.
The NDLEA Chairman also appealed to the public to support the agency in its mission to rid Nigeria of the menace of illicit drugs and substances, which he said was a major threat to the security, health, and development of the nation.
Finally, he assured Nigerians that the NDLEA would continue to work with other relevant stakeholders to ensure that the country is free from drug-related crimes and violence.
