The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a physically challenged drug dealer, Godwin Emuneyin, 45, who uses his wheelchair to elicit empathy to deal with illicit substances.

NDLEA’s spokesman Femi Babafemi stated on Sunday in Abuja that Mr Emuneyin was arrested on November 7 at Afuze, headquarters of Owan East Local Government Area of Edo.

He was arrested while in possession of methamphetamine and Indian hemp.

“At the time of his arrest, a wooden box containing 18 pinches of methamphetamine and 71 wraps of Indian hemp were recovered from Emuneyin,’’ Mr Babafemi stated.

He added that in another interdiction in Edo, NDLEA operatives recovered 42 bags of Indian hemp weighing 480kg from a camp in Aviosi Forest in Owan West Local Government Area on November 6.

In Utese Forest in Ovia North East Local Government Area of the state, NDLEA recovered 231.5kg of Indian hemp and destroyed 0.778960 hectares of the weed on November 6.

In Adamawa, operatives intercepted a Toyota Corolla car on Ngurore-Yola Road on November 9. It had 30,899 Tramadol pills in 225mg and 100mg concealed in its body compartments.

Mr Babafemi stated that the driver, Sani Samaila, 25, said he was taking the consignment from Jalingo to Yola.

“On November 8, a suspect, Abdullahi Sani, was arrested at Ngurore town in possession of some quantity of dried weeds suspected to be Indian hemp.

“He led operatives to the home of a drug lord, Mr Bubakari, an unrepentant ex-convict, where 19 blocks of compressed Indian hemp weighing 13kgs were recovered,’’ Mr Babafemi stated.

He added that in Ogun, not less than 18.875 tons of Indian hemp were destroyed on 7.55 hectares of farmland on November 6, when one Okpor Chukwuma and six other suspects found on the farmland were arrested.

“One hundred jumbo bags containing 1,100kg of Indian hemp recovered at Jamestown, Ogunmakin area of Obafemi Owode Local Government Area on November 6 were destroyed,’’ he stated.

Mr Babafemi also stated that the operation was jointly carried out by NDLEA operatives, troops of the Nigerian Army, the police, the FRSC, the Defence Intelligence Agency, and the State Security Network, Amotekun.

He stated that a commercial bus driver, Olayinka Sowo, (25) was arrested on November 10 on the Ibadan-Akure Expressway for alleged conspiracy to transport 45.150kg of Indian hemp from Lagos to Osun State.

Mr Babafemi also stated that on November 10, NDLEA officers intercepted 7,980 pills of diazepam and 567 bottles of codeine syrup in a commercial bus on the Abaji-Abuja Highway.

A follow-up operation at Zuba Motor Park led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment, Ugwu Ikenna, (30).

In Delta, NDLEA operatives, backed by men of the Nigerian Army, stormed a remote forest in Umuchime community in Ndokwa West Local Government Area.

They destroyed 12.5 tonnes of Indian hemp on five hectares of farmland and recovered 53.22kg of processed weeds and seeds from the forest.

“A suspect, Christopher Anim was also arrested in the course of the operation.

“Operatives also arrested two suspects – Amarachukwu Eugene (32) and Abdulaziz Auwal (25) in Kano on Tuesday, November 7. They had 202 blocks of Indian hemp weighing 113.1kg on them,’’ Mr Babafemi stated.

(NAN)