The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 24 suspected drug traffickers and dealers, including a 42-year-old man taking thousands of concealed opioid pills to insurgents in the Banki area of Borno.

NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi stated on Sunday in Abuja that a six-month pregnant woman and mother of three, as well as three other women, were also arrested in major interdiction operations nationwide by operatives.

He said this led to the seizure of over 7,609 kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs in eight states.

Mr Babafemi said the bulk of the seizure was made in Nasarawa State on Sunday, February 4, when a truck marked Lagos JJJ 64 YC was intercepted.

He said the truck was conveying 367 jumbo bags of marijuana weighing 4,037 kilograms from Akure in Ondo State to Lafia, the state capital.

Mr Babafemi said three suspects, Shuaibu Yahaya Liman, 35, Monday Audu, 33, and Linus Samuel, 42, were arrested for the seizure.

According to him, two suspects, Jibrin Shuaibu, 23, and Prosper Innih, 17, were arrested on February 5 with 169 bags and 80 blocks of compressed marijuana in the FCT.

“This drug weighed 1,961.5kg and was concealed in a truck with registration number Ogun WDE 557 XC.

“The truck was intercepted during a stop and search operation along Abaji – Abuja highway on their way from Uzeba to Dei-Dei, FCT,” he added.

He also said another suspect, Abdulhameed Dauda, 27, was arrested by NDLEA operatives in Abuja on February 6 in possession of 89kgs of the same psychoactive substance.

Mr Babafemi said it was loaded in a truck in Owo, Ondo state, to be delivered to Gwagwalada in the FCT.

“On the same day, operatives also intercepted another driver, Hassan Ade, 30, transporting 696.5kgs of the same substance loaded in Idoani, Ondo State, to be delivered at Gwagwalada and Dei-Dei in FCT.

“A follow-up operation led to the arrest of a mother of three children, Mrs Joy Chukwuka, 42, linked with the consignment,” he said.

“Also from Ondo State, apart from the seizure of 633.5kgs of marijuana in Eleyere, Ogbese in Akure North LGA, NDLEA operatives also recovered 59 jumbo bags of the substance loaded in a truck marked GAD 287 XA heading to the northern part of the country,” Mr Babafemi explained.

Mr Babafemi said detergent was sprayed on the cannabis bags ostensibly to suppress the odour of the psychoactive weed, while 192 packs of table water were loaded on top to conceal the illicit consignment.

“Also, 187kg of the same substance was seized by operatives along Sapele road in Benin, while in Kano, a 58-year-old man, Bashir Attahir of Bachirawa area, was arrested with 216,000 pills of tramadol 250mg.

“Another suspect, Ejike Nmenme, 47, was nabbed the following day, Tuesday, February 6, with 25,190 capsules of tramadol and different quantities of Rohypnol and codeine syrup along Emir road, Sabon Gari area of the city.

“The duo of Yusuf Abdulahi, 35, and Yusuf Musa, 28, were nabbed at Gadar Tamburawa with 1,000 ampoules of tramadol injection on Thursday, February 8.

“In Borno, a 42-year-old suspected supplier of illicit drugs to insurgents in Banki, a border region between Nigeria and Cameroon, Ahmad Mohammed, was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Friday, February 9, at Bama checkpoint.

“When his luggage was searched, 20,000 capsules of tramadol were recovered from him while on his way to deliver the opioid consignment in the border town,” he said.

In the same vein, the NDLEA spokesman said that a six-month pregnant woman, Amarachi Akaolisa, 25, and another lady, Ifeoma Iheanyi, 21, were among six suspects arrested for dealing in illicit substances in Oraifite and Umuni-Evili, Aguleri, Anambra.

“Others nabbed include Okwuchukwu Chukwuka, Onyedika Ngwu, Ekene Hyginus, and Nzomiwu Ikechukwu.

“Recovered from them were over six kilograms of cannabis, tramadol, diazepam and codeine syrup in raids conducted by NDLEA operatives between Tuesday, February 6 and Thursday, February 8, in parts of the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Babafemi said in Lagos, two women, Boluwatife Adebayo and Omolade Adebayo, were among the suspects arrested during raids in parts of the state on February 10. 

(NAN)