- Safiu Kehinde
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two brothers and two others during a raid on a cannabis farm in Edo State.
NDLEA operatives had reportedly stormed the farm located at Ebora camp, Ilushi in Esan South East Local Government Area of the state.
While 4,063.675kg skunk was destroyed on over 1.6 hectares farmland with 328kg processed cannabis and its seeds recovered, the agency arrested one 33-year-old Chukwudi Pius and his brother 46-year-old Pius Ogaba.
As disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babfemi, the brothers were arrested on the cmp longside two other suspects, Jeremiah Nwodeh, 46; ; and Onora Kwene, 35..
In Niger state, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on last week Tuesday intercepted a long truck marked T 31589 LA along Dei-Dei Abuja expressway where they arrested the trio of Andy Chidogu, 49; Kenneth Ogene, 45; and Sadiq Olanrewaju, 27, for conveying 176 bags of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 2,735 kilograms and one kilogram of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, concealed in the truck.
Investigations revealed that Kenneth Ogene who drives the truck left Lagos on 23rd January loaded with 800 bags of flour to Ekpoma, Edo State and arrived the following day 24th January.
In Ekpoma, he then negotiated to transport the 176 bags of skunk and 1kg Colos for N1.7million.
In another interdiction operation, NDLEA operatives in Edo state on Tuesday 27th January arrested Shaibu Yusuf along Auchi-Abuja express road while looking for a vehicle to convey 66 bags of skunk concealed in bags of charcoal, weighing 792kg, to Katsina.
In Anambra state, NDLEA operatives, on Wednesday,intercepted a cement truck at Upper Iweka Onitsha, heading to Nkpor. A search of the trailer revealed that bags of cement were used to conceal 345.2kg skunk owned Abum Okeke, 42, who was one of the three occupants of the truck at the time of arrest.
At least, two suspects: Tunde Ogundele,39, and Soji Elegbelye, 46, were on Monday arrested at Eleyewo community in Akure North area of Ondo state, in connection with the seizure of 473kg skunk.
On the same day, NDLEA operatives in Kano nabbed Abdullahi Usman, 45, at Murtala Mohammed way, with 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection recovered from him.
Not less than 4,390 pills of tramadol were seized from another suspect Musa Shuaibu, 42, when he was arrested in Gaya area of Kano on Tuesday 27th January.
While Oragwan Ekene was arrested on Friday at Okeyson park, Alaba, Lagos, with 15.5kg skunk heading to Onitsha, Anambra state with the illicit consignment, 3.5kg of same psychoactive substance was recovered from a sound system and two packets of cereal found in the luggage of Omang Peter Edward at the arrival tarmac of Seme border, Badagry on Tuesday 27th January. The suspect was coming from Cotonou, Benin Republic into Lagos.