By Kamil Opeyemi
Operatives of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA have intercepted various illicit drugs ranging from Skunk and Indian hemp in Lagos and Ogun.
Its spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi stated on Sunday in Abuja that NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle driven by one Mukaila Idowu, conveying 88.3kg skunk at Otedola Bridge, Ikeja area of Lagos.
He added that another suspect, Joseph Friday was arrested on Saturday at Iyana Ira, Lagos with 58.7kg of Indian hemp concealed inside his Toyota Camry car marked FST 587HF.
Also on May 3, NDLEA operatives busted a mini factory where a suspect, Bakare Taofeek was producing “skucchies’’ around Safari Onikolobo, Abeokuta.
“Exhibits recovered from him include: 4kg black currant drink (Zobo) mixed with cannabis; 255 litres of skucchies; 1,880 tablets of tramadol; 735 grams of cannabis; three deep freezers; 2 gas cylinders and two cooking pots among others.”
In the same vein, operatives in Adamawa arrested a suspect, Sahabi Mohammed, 39, with 8,800 tablets of tramadol and counterfeit N60,000-naira notes, while another suspect, Bala Ali Umar, was arrested on Wednesday 3rd May with 2.850kg cannabis sativa and 825 litres of formalin popularly known as ‘Suck and Die’ at Anguwar Laka, Numan LGA.
In Edo state, a Toyota Previa bus marked NER 460 XA (Bayelsa) conveying 13,000 pills of tramadol and diazepam was intercepted along Ewohimi road, heading to Ekiti state, while the driver of the vehicle, Femi Oluwadare, was taken into custody on Friday 5th May.
Similarly, another suspect, Ahmed Rafi’u, 34, was arrested with 84 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 43.200kg, by operatives in Kogi state, while 381.1kg of the same substance was recovered from three suspects travelling in a Sienna bus in Anambra state.
The arrested suspects include: Innocent Saturday; Sunday Asuquo and Akpan Asukuma.
They were arrested by a combined patrol team of security agents comprising NDLEA operatives and other security agencies at Nneobi, Anambra state.
While commending the officers and men of Lagos, Ogun, Adamawa, Edo, Kogi and Anambra Commands of the Agency as well as those of DOGI for their vigilance and professionalism, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) urged them and their peers across the country to step up in their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction.