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NDLEA nabs 96-year-old retired soldier who lives off selling ‘skunk’

The suspect said he, his eight wives and 50 children have been living off the illicit trade since he retired from the military in 1982.

• August 24, 2021
Joseph Owherhi and NDLEA officers

Joseph Owherhi, a 96-year-old retired soldier who lives off selling ‘skunk’ and other illicit drugs, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Suleja area of Niger state.

Mr Owherhi’s arrest was announced in a statement issued by the NDLEA director of media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Babafemi said that the Nonagenarian was arrested in his house at Rafin Sanyi area of Suleja on Saturday, August 21 with 3kg of ‘skunk’, based on credible intelligence.

The NDLEA spokesperson said the suspect confessed that he, his eight wives and 50 children have been living on the illicit trade since he retired from the military in 1982.

In the same vein, four trans-border drug traffickers have been arrested in Adamawa while attempting to cross the border on motorcycle to Cameroon.

The suspects, Ibrahim Aliyu, Umar Mohammed, Aliyu Adamu, and Usman Adamu, were arrested on August 22 with packs of Tramadol concealed inside noodle cartons.

Mr Babafemi added that narcotic officers had also during a raid on Saturday, arrested a drug dealer, Chimezie Okorie at Layin ‘Yan Gwanjo, Mubi market, Adamawa.

Assorted drugs found on Mr Okorie were 23kg of Tramadol and 32kg of Diazepam injection.

A 35-year-old fashion designer, Abiodun Abubakar, was arrested on August 23 at Bodija market, Ibadan North LGA, Oyo state with 24.2kg of cannabis sativa.

Coordinated sting operations across parts of Lagos state, especially Itedo community, Lekki and Petti in Lagos Island also led to the arrest of thirteen suspects.

The arrested suspects are Eze Beckee, Lateef Habib, Olayemi Temitope, Abdullaziz Sheriff, Yakwan Michael, Nora Omoruyi, Hamson Igbokwe, Ugwu Augustine, Akin Lawanson, Ibrahim Isa, Emeka Nwafor, Obi Price and Daniel Chukwuebuka.

A total of 238kb of cannabis and 2g of cocaine were said to have been recovered from them.

Mr Babafemi said a Chizoba Francis was also arrested at the weekend in Lokoja, Kogi with 54kg cannabis hidden in sacks and covered with used footwears.

According to the NDLEA spokesperson, the suspect said that the consignment was bought at Emure, Ondo state with Kaduna as the destination.

In another development, NDLEA operatives during a sting operation in Eleyewo area of Akure North LGA, Ondo at the weekend, recovered 308kg of compressed cannabis loaded into a Lexus car.

Mr Babafemi quoted the NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, as commending the officers and men of Niger, Adamawa, Lagos, Ondo, Kogi and Oyo Commands of the agency for their relentless efforts.

He charged them and their counterparts across the country not to rest on their oars in the ongoing offensive against all drug cartels in Nigeria.

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