The use of illicit drugs has become rampant, in Nigeria, especially among the youth, and it has become a menace that is eating deep into the life and well-being of people. The recent report from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) revealed that seven different states in Nigeria were searched, resulting in the seizure of a combined total of 46.637 kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin. This information was disclosed on Sunday in Abuja to the News Agency of Nigeria by Mr. Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy for the NDLEA.
Babafemi reported that a man named Miracle Madu, 27 years old, was detained on October 26 at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu with a substance that is believed to be cocaine. The suspect entered Nigeria on an Ethiopian Airlines flight that departed in Nairobi, Kenya and made its final stop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He stated that the search on Madu had revealed that he had 76 foreign bathing soaps produced with cocaine hidden in one of his three luggage, which weighed a total of 10.650 kilograms.
Two plastic bottles containing liquid tested positive for cocaine.
Furthermore, the suspect also had creams composed of liquid cocaine, which weighed a total of 2.496 kilograms, according to the NDLEA official who spoke about the case. A subsequent search revealed two plastic bottles containing a liquid that tested positive for cocaine, as well. He stated that the total weight of the cocaine was 13.146 kilograms and that the weight of the cocaine found in the soap was 10.650 kilograms, while the weight of the cocaine found in the liquid and cream was 2.496 kilos.
The agency spokesperson further said that on October 27, during a stop-and-search mission along the Okene-Abuja expressway, agents apprehended a Chisco-branded bus travelling from Lagos to Abuja. There were 32.9 kilograms of meth hidden in yam tubers on the bus, along with 376 grams of cocaine as well as 215 grams of heroin. He added that the bus driver, Pascal Nmaram, was detained without delay; Ikenna Akunne, the intended recipient of the contraband goods, was apprehended in a follow-up operation in Abuja that same day. The suspect admitted he was detailed to depart on October 28 with the shipment to Spain the following day through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja.
Agents seized pills of Tramadol and cannabis sativa.
In Lagos, Babafemi revealed that agents of the organization conducted a buy and bust mission in the Oshodi area on October 25. As part of the operation, agents seized 146,000 pills of Tramadol measuring 225 mg each. On October 24, operatives in the FCT also went on a patrol along the Kwali-Abuja highway, and they came across a truck carrying 915.8 kilograms of cannabis. They arrested three suspects: Muhammad Muawiyya, 30; Kabiru Ibrahim, 40; and Adamu Adamu, 24.
Two cross-border smugglers, Abdullahi Mamuda (aka Mama) and Aliyu Abdullahi (aka Garga) were apprehended by operatives in Adamawa at the Skylight Hotel in Jambutu, Yola North. A search on an ash-coloured Toyota Corolla vehicle with number plate JMT 146 TE (Adamawa) showed they were carrying 39,320 tablets of Tramadol. Babafemi stated that initial investigations showed the cross-border traffickers left Onitsha in Anambra State, and made their way through Adamawa, on their way to Cameroun before being apprehended. Furthermore, he added that on October 28, agents from the agency raided a two-bedroom bungalow in the Uso Community of Ondo State and found Okon Etim, 45, in possession of 12 bags containing 207 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa.
Despite the agency’s efforts, illicit drugs are on the rise.
Moreover, Babafemi made clear that operatives from the agency’s Kogi Command had destroyed five hectares of land in the regions of Agbonkete, Iyaya Camp, and Igalamela-Odolu in the state of Kogi. These sites were previously home to cannabis farms. According to him, a man named Augustine Agbenyo, 34, was detained with three bags that allegedly contained fresh, dried leaves and stems of a substance that was suspected to be cannabis. Despite all the agency’s efforts to curb illicit drugs, it seems not to have yielded many results, as new cases keep rising every day.
Related Link
NDLEA: Website
