Monday, August 29,2022

The dragnet of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has caught Ohiagu Sunday, a cleaner at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, who leads a drug syndicate at the international wing of the airport.

He was nabbed by operatives of the agency last Tuesday, following the arrest of an intending passenger on Air Peace flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Obinna Jacob Osita, who was with three bags, two of which contained eight blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 4.25 kilograms concealed in cassava product, gari, and crayfish

One other member of the airport syndicate who works with Ohiagu was arrested, while operatives were said to be after another suspect.

A statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, yesterday, said investigations revealed that a Dubai-based drug dealer recruited Obinna, a 42-year-old native of Oyi Local Government Area, Anambra State, to traffic the drugs and equally contracted Ohiagu, a 34-year-old airport cleaner from Orlu West Local Government Area of Imo State, to create access for the unhindered passage of the trafficker.

The drug syndicate bust, which is the first drug arrest at the new terminal of the MMIA came on the heels of the seizure of a consignment of bottles of Viju and fearless energy drinks used to conceal skunk for export to Dubai, UAE, through the NAHCO export shed on Monday, August 15. A freight agent was arrested in connection with the seizure

One other member of the airport syndicate who works with Ohiagu was arrested, while operatives were said to be after another suspect.

A statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, yesterday, said investigations revealed that a Dubai-based drug dealer recruited Obinna, a 42-year-old native of Oyi Local Government Area, Anambra State, to traffic the drugs and equally contracted Ohiagu, a 34-year-old airport cleaner from Orlu West Local Government Area of Imo State, to create access for the unhindered passage of the trafficker.

The drug syndicate bust, which is the first drug arrest at the new terminal of the MMIA came on the heels of the seizure of a consignment of bottles of Viju and fearless energy drinks used to conceal skunk for export to Dubai, UAE, through the NAHCO export shed on Monday, August 15. A freight agent was arrested in connection with the seizure.

In the same vein, an attempt by a syndicate to export illicit drugs through the Lagos airport last Wednesday was foiled during an outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airline to Oman via Addis Ababa.

A suspect, Jonah Chukwuemeka, was arrested with a total of 1,995 tramadol tablets with a gross weight of 900 grams hidden in locust beans in his luggage. The bag containing the illicit substance was handed over to him at the airport by one Olagunju Abbas, who was promptly arrested.

Packs of tramadol 225mg containing 119,500 capsules were, last Thursday, transferred to NDLEA by the Nigeria Customs cargo wing of MMIA. The consignment had come in through Ethiopian Airline from Pakistan.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives, on Saturday, raided a car shop, Bolak Motors, at Ewenla bus stop, Oshodi, where bags of 615.2kg cannabis were recovered along with nine vehicles. Efforts were ongoing to track the car dealer, Alhaji Ismail, who was said to be at large.

No fewer than eight suspects were arrested and bags of illicit drugs seized from them when the Akerele area of Agege, Shogunle and Mafoluku areas of Oshodi, the Fagba area of Ogba, the Ipodo area of Ikeja and Iyana Ipaja park were raided in the state.

In Yobe State, two suspected fake security agents taking 14kg cannabis to Maiduguri, Borno State, were intercepted along Potiskum- Damaturu road.  While Adetula Olarenwaju was arrested with four blocks of the substance last Thursday, on his way from Lagos, Sadiq Garba, returning from Gombe, was nabbed with 22 blocks of the substance on Saturday.

In Edo, Abu Segun Sunday was arrested with 48.4kg cannabis at Idk quarter, Ibilo, while Rosemary Afekhuai was caught with 1,130 tramadol caps, among others, at the Oluma quarters, Otuo, Owan East LGA.

In Delta, Mustapha Isah was arrested at Oko Market with 9, 800 tramadol caps weighing 6.4kg, while NDLEA operatives in Kaduna also nabbed Chinedu Onnuka, at Narayi Kaduna, with 33,000 tablets of bromazepam

No fewer than 80 blocks of cannabis sativa were recovered from an abandoned tricycle with reg. no: BAU 70 WL, while 25,000 tablets of exol-5 were seized from a dealer, Usman Muhammed, who was nabbed along Bauchi-Gombe road.

A raid operation at a market in Mubi, Adamawa State, last Wednesday, led to the seizure of 62,360 tablets of tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 while two suspects, Sirajo Idris and Anas Abubakar, were arrested same day with 107 pallets of cannabis at Kamba, a border town in Kebbi State. The skunk weighing 90kg was smuggled in from Benin Republic.

In Kano, a drug dealer Lawal Adamu, 31, was arrested along Zaria-Kano road, Kwanar Dangora, with 203 blocks of cannabis weighing 136kg, while another suspect, Taheer Abdullahi, was nabbed on Friday 26, at Gadar Tamburawa, with 3000 ampules of tramadol injection.

A raid operation at Kara Masaka, back of Mararaba market, and Zamani Estate, on Saturday, led to the arrest of 26 suspects, while 25.7kg cannabis, 4.5kg codeine and 300 tablets of rohypnol tablets were seized from the drug joints raided. In Sokoto State, the village head of Ruga, Shagari LGA, Alhaji Umaru Mohammed (aka Danbala), a notorious drug dealer, who was arrested last Monday, will be facing charges any moment from now. Before his recent arrest during which 436.381kg cannabis and 1kg diazepam were recovered from his house, an earlier raid on his home on July 20, 2022 had also led to the seizure of 11.5kg cannabis, 2.259kg exol 5 and 500grams of diazepam

Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed  Marwa (retd) commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Edo, Delta and Lagos Commands for the arrests and seizures. He charged them and their compatriots across the country not to rest on their oars