By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Abuja has arrested two drug dealers, Mr Emeka Okoro and Mr Ibrahim Bello, with cocaine weighing 1.1 kilogramme, which has a street value of N264 million.
This was disclosed by the agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, in a statement released on Wednesday in Abuja.
Mr Babafemi said one of the suspects, Mr Okoro was caught with 900 grammes of cocaine in a commercial bus along Abuja-Gwagwalada road on April 26 based on intelligence.
He added that the suspect, Mr Bello was nabbed with 200 grammes of the illicit drug in the Zuba area of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) on the same day through a controlled delivery operation.
He quoted the Commander, NDLEA, FCT Command, Mr Mohammed Sokoto, as saying that Mr Okoro was an intending traveller to Libya through Kano and Agadez in the Niger Republic.
He said, “Okoro was with wraps of cocaine weighing 900 grammes while the other seizure of 200 grammes was equally made following intelligence on Monday 26th April 2021.
“The wraps of cocaine were not to be swallowed as has always been the case but to be concealed in Jerry cans of palm oil and transported through the border in Kano to Agadez and Libya.
“The suspect, Okoro, revealed that this has been the trend in the past months,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Command of the agency also intercepted and seized 157.5 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in false panels in a Peugeot J5 bus.
Mr Babafemi said the bus with registration number Lagos AGL 641 XW had a 43-year-old suspect, Christian Godwin arrested with the contraband.
He quoted the Commander, NDLEA, Kogi State Command, Mr Adewunmi Alfred, as saying that the suspect and his consignment were intercepted at a patrol point in Lokoja, the state capital.
“The skunk was sourced from Ikire in Osun State and heading to Masaka in Nasarawa State before our men arrested the suspect, seized the illicit drug and the vehicle used to convey it on Monday 26th April 2021,” he added.
The Chairman of the NDLEA, Mr Buba Marwa, commended officers and men of the FCT and Kogi State Commands for their vigilance and commitment to the task of ridding the country of illicit drugs.
According to him, these seizures and arrests in FCT and Kogi point to the fact that the agency will continue to disrupt the operations of the drug peddlers.
“We will dismantle the drug supply networks of these unconscionable elements and deny them the benefits of their illegal trade,” he said.
Modupe Gbadeyanka