Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized over 22,160 kilograms of Codeine syrup, Methamphetamine and Skunk at the Apapa seaport and a notorious drug den in Mushin, Lagos State in two separate operations, among other seizures in the country.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by Mr Femi Babafemi, the Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja.
According to the statement, a total of 14,080kg codeine syrup (8,080 litres) and 4,352.43kg cold caps used to conceal the former in a 40ft container imported from India, were intercepted on Wednesday, February 2 at the Apapa port, while Cannabis and other drugs imported from Ghana including Methamphetamine weighing 3,727.72kg, were seized in an early morning raid at Akala, Mushin.
About 17 suspects, including five females, were arrested in connection to the Mushin raid.
The seizure at the Lagos seaport followed intelligence from foreign partners and the cooperation of other port stakeholders.
At Akala, NDLEA Strike Force operatives in their numbers with support from the military stormed warehouses in the drug den and evacuated bags and bottles of cannabis, ‘loud’, ‘skunk’, ‘skuchies’ and Methamphetamine as well as the 17 suspects for further investigation.
Meanwhile, a suspected female drug kingpin identified as Miss Jemilat Seriki, who was revealed as one of the owners of 12,385 pellets of ‘loud’ imported from Ghana and intercepted at Eko Atlantic Beach, Victoria Island Lagos on Saturday, November 27, 2021, has been arrested by narcotics officers after weeks of manhunt.
Miss Seriki admitted to being one the owners of the consignments seized, adding that her bags of drugs had ‘Jah Bless’ written on them.
Meanwhile, in Niger State, a 64-year-old former Divisional Police Officer of Idanre Police station, Ondo state, who was dismissed from service for drug-related offences, Mr Monday George Chika, has again been arrested with an accomplice, Mr Emmanuel Eniola, with 280 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 168kg.
They were arrested on Sunday, January 30, in Mokwa, Niger State, after their Toyota Avalon car marked EKY 429 BZ (Lagos) loaded with the substance was intercepted at Idanre, en route Kanji, Borgu area of the state.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos, attempts by some traffickers to export different quantities of Methamphetamine to Brazil and the United Kingdom were scuttled by narcotics officers.
The first bid was made on Friday, January 28, through the SAHCO export shed where operatives intercepted 0.80kg of Meth concealed in relaxer plastic containers for transmission to the UK.
A suspect, Akuta Chioma Lucy who presented the consignment for search, was arrested for further investigation.
The second attempt was on Friday, February 4, during the outward clearance of passengers at Gate ‘C’ Departure hall of the airport when an intending male passenger on an Ethiopian Airline going to Brazil, Mr Onyeaghala Chidi was intercepted with 500 grams of Meth concealed inside three plastic hair relaxer containers.
Also at the airport, a male passenger, Mr Iliyasu Yushau Yushau, coming from Kampala, Uganda via Nairobi, Kenya was intercepted by operatives with 268 debit cards belonging to Access Bank, GTBank and Zenith Bank, during the inward clearance of passengers on the flight on Sunday, January 30.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives on Friday, February 4, stormed the Igbogiri forest, Orhionwon LGA and destroyed four dry season Cannabis farms measuring 3.067718 hectares, following the evacuation of 20 bags of compressed blocks of Cannabis weighing 269.5kg stored in a bush at Uzebba, Owan West LGA, the previous day and the arrest of Afadama James, 42, with 348kg cannabis at Owan, Ovia North East LGA on Wednesday, February 2.
While operatives in Delta State arrested a 21-year-old student of Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Miss Kate Osagie over a 17.6grams designer drug she ordered from Onitsha, Anambra state, their colleagues in Borno State on Thursday, February 3 nabbed one Fatima Musa, 30, for attempting to smuggle pentazocine injections into the camp of surrendered insurgents.
In Plateau State, operatives intercepted a truck marked LSD857XB coming from Ekpoma, Edo State with 885 blocks of Cannabis Sativa that weighed 736kg.
The sun of N400,000 paid to bribe the arresting officers has also been warehoused as part of exhibits for prosecution, just as two suspects; Mr Ebunoluwa Babalola, 40, and Mr Sulyman Sheu, 30, were arrested at Ganmo, Ilorin, Kwara State with 90kg of Cannabis.
In the same vein, 2kg of Methamphetamine being brought to Abuja by a 29-year-old, Miss Charity Omuche from Anambra state was intercepted on Friday, February 4, by operatives at Gwagwalada area of the FCT, while officers of the Kaduna Command of the Agency also arrested a suspect, Mr Buhari Isah Umar with 300 shisha pens and 999 portions of synthetic cannabinoids with a gross weight of 9.690kg.
On his part, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Mr Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the officers and men of the Strike Force, Apapa seaport, MMIA, Lagos, Niger, Edo, Borno, Plateau, Kwara, FCT and Delta Commands of the agency for the successful interdiction operations that led to the seizure of thousands of kilograms of illicit drugs from across the country in the past week.
