The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has intercepted 2,504.8 kilogrammes of diverse illicit drugs from multiple suspects in five different states.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, noted that it was in a string of operations in Edo, Ondo, Kaduna, Kano and Kogi states in the past week that the drugs were seized.

According to him, 60-year-old Comfort Uzor was arrested with 62.1kg cannabis on Tuesday, August 17 in Lokoja, where one Dayyabu Usman was also caught with eight kilogrammes of the same substance.

“While Ms Uzor sourced hers from Bolorunduro in Ondo State and was heading to Abuja, Mr 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 Joseph Sunday at Ungwa Pama, Kaduna, where they recovered 48.3kg of cannabis from his room following credible intelligence,” he said.

According to the spokesperson, NDLEA officers on Tuesday, August 17 stormed the Ugbuwe forest in Ovia North East LGA, Edo State 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 was 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.

“One Mutta Wada, who specialises in using courier firms to send drugs to a recipient in China, using cooking spices bottles for concealment, was also arrested,” he said.

Mr Babafemi noted that over 77.5 kilogrammes of cannabis and monkey tail were intercepted at Odigbo town in Odigbo LGA, Ondo State, where peratives arrested one Basiru Ijiniga on Saturday.

He said one Ibrahim Umaru in the Sabo area of Akure South LGA was also arrested on Saturday and items recovered from him included different quantities of psychotropic substances like Diazepam, Tramadol, Swinol and Rophynol.

Reacting to the string of arrests and seizures in the past week across some states, the NDEA boss, Buba Marwa, commended the officers and men of the various commands.

“We have all laid our hands on the plough. There’s no looking back; no retreat or surrender,” he said.