On Sunday, NDLEA agents detained a cleaner at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, in Ikeja, Lagos, who was the leader of a narcotics gang operating out of the airport’s international terminal.
He was apprehended on Tuesday, August 23, after Obinna Jacob Osita, an intended traveler on an Airpeace flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirates was detained with three bags, two of which contained eight blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 4.25kg that was stowed away in crayfish, garri, and cassava products.
While agents are looking for another suspect, another member of the airport syndicate who works with Ohiagu has also been detained.
According to investigations, a Dubai-based drug dealer hired Obinna, a 42-year-old native of Oyi Local Government Area in Anambra State, to traffic the drugs. The dealer also hired Ohiagu, a 34-year-old airport cleaner from Orlu West Local Government Area in Imo State, to provide access for the trafficker’s unimpeded passage.
Following the seizure of a shipment of bottles of viju and fearless energy drinks intended to disguise skunk for export to Dubai, UAE through the NAHCO export shed on Monday, August 15, comes the drug syndicate bust, which is the first drug arrest at the new terminal of the MMIA. Concerning the confiscation, a freight agent has already been taken into custody.
In a similar vein, on Wednesday, August 24, a syndicate’s effort to export illegal substances through the Lagos airport was thwarted during the outbound clearance of passengers flying on Ethiopian Airlines to Oman via Addis Abeba.
Jonah Chukwuemeka, the defendant, was apprehended with 1,995 Tramadol tablets, totaling 900 grams in weight, concealed in locust beans in his luggage. One Olagunju Abbas, who was soon detained, gave him the bag carrying the illegal material at the airport.
On Thursday, August 25th, packs of Tramadol 225mg pills totaling 119,500 were delivered to NDLEA by Nigeria Customs, the cargo division of MMIA.
The shipment arrived from Pakistan via Ethiopian Airlines.
In the meantime, Saturday’s search by NDLEA agents on Bolak Motors at the Ewela bus stop in Oshodi resulted in the seizure of nine vehicles and bags weighing 615.2kg of cannabis.
To find the car dealer, Alhaji Ismail, who is now at large, continuing efforts are being made.
When raids were conducted in the state’s Akerele area of Agege, Shogunle and Mafoluku areas of Oshodi, Fagba area of Ogba, Ipodo area of Ikeja, and Iyana Ipaja park, no fewer than eight suspects were detained and bags of illegal drugs were taken from them.
Along the Potiskum-Damaturu route in Yobe state, two alleged fake security agents were stopped while transporting 14 kg of marijuana to Maiduguri in Borno state. On Thursday, August 25, Adetula Olarenwaju was detained with four blocks of the material while traveling from Lagos, while on Saturday, August 27, Sadiq Garba was detained with 22 blocks when traveling from Gombe.
In Edo, Rosemary Afekhuai was found in possession of 1,130 tramadol capsules among other things at Oluma quarters, Otuo, Owan East LGA, while Abu Segun Sunday was detained with 48.4kg of cannabis at Idk quarter, Ibilo.
Mustapha Isah was apprehended in Delta at Oko Market with 9,800 Tramadol caps weighing 6.4 kg, and NDLEA agents also apprehended Chinedu Onnuka in Kaduna at Narayi Kaduna with 33,000 Bromazepam tablets.
A tricycle with the registration number BAU 70 WL was found abandoned, and no less than 80 blocks of cannabis sativa were found inside. Meanwhile, Usman Muhammed, a dealer who was arrested on the Bauchi-Gombe route, had 25,000 tablets of exol-5 in his possession.
Tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5 tablets totaling 62,360 were found during a raid on a market in Mubi, Adamawa state on Wednesday, August 24. Two suspects, Sirajo Idris and Anas Abubakar, were also detained on the same day with 107 pallets of marijuana in Kamba, a border town in Kebbi State.
The 90 kg skunk was brought in illegally from the Benin Republic.
Lawal Adamu, a drug dealer from Kano, was detained with 203 blocks of cannabis weighing 136 kg along the Zaria-Kano route, Kwanar Dangora, while Taheer Abdullahi was apprehended on Friday, August 26, at Gadar Tamburawa with 3000 ampules of tramadol injection.
On Saturday, August 27, 26 people were detained following a raid operation at Kara Masaka, behind Mararaba Market, and Zamani Estate. 25.7 kg of cannabis, 4.5 kg of codeine, and 300 tablets of rohypnol were also seized from the narcotics joints busted.
Alhaji Umaru Mohammed (also known as Danbala), the village chief of Ruga, Shagari LGA and a prominent drug dealer who was detained on August 22nd, will soon be charged in Sokoto state.
A raid on his residence on July 20, 2022 resulted in the recovery of 11.5 kg of cannabis, 2.259 kg of exol5, and 500 grams of diazepam. Prior to his recent arrest, during which 436.381 kg of cannabis and 1 kg of diazepam were recovered from his home.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, praised the officers and personnel of the MMIA, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Edo, Delta, and Lagos Commands for the arrests and seizures.
He urged them to keep pushing forward.
