The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) had arrested a 45-year-old Yusuf Yahaya on Christmas eve along Lagos-Ilorin expressway with 31.00kg of compressed cannabis in a commercial bus coming from Ibadan, Oyo state to Kebbi State.
Its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement issued Sunday said preliminary investigation revealed that he supplies illicit drugs to bandits in Kebbi and Zamfara axis.
Also, the agency has intercepted a Qatar-based businessman, Agu Evidence Amobi, and one other, Uchegbu Onyebuchi Obi with consignments of psychoactive substances at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos.
He noted that while Amobi was arrested on Saturday 30th December at the departure point of terminal 2 of the MMIA on his way to Doha, Qatar on a Qatar Airways flight, Obi was taken into custody same day following the seizure of a consignment of 72,000 pills of tramadol 225mg, which he attempted shipping to Kano on a local flight.
Babafemi said: “Amobi who claimed he’s been living and working in Doha, Qatar for over 10 years was caught with 1.30kg cannabis sativa concealed in a bag of foodstuff. He claimed he bought the substance in Enugu to deliver in Doha to enable him raise enough funds to pay his rents in Doha and Nigeria and school fees of his three children.
“In the same vein, NDLEA operatives at the domestic wing of the airport intercepted a carton containing a total of 72,000 pills of tramadol 250mg with a gross weight of 38.50kg. This was closely followed with the arrest of Uchegbu Onyebuchi Obi who brought the consignment to the airport for shipment to Kano.
“On Christmas day 25th December in Yobe state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Nguru-Gashua road intercepted the trio of Musa Sani, Mohammed Ibrahim and Adamu Usman in truck conveying 39 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 15.7kg and 128,500 pills of opioids.
“Follow up operations the following day 26th December led to the arrest of the actual owner of the cannabis consignment, Ali Ibrahim (a.k.a Ramos) in Geidam where additional 208 blocks of the same substance were recovered from his house, bringing the total to 247 blocks weighing 94.74kg, while the owner of the seized opioids, Mustapha Goni (a.k.a Lolo) was equally arrested.”
Babafemi added that in Imo state, NDLEA operatives on Christmas eve, Sunday 24th December while on patrol along Owerri – Onitsha expressway intercepted a commercial bus driven by Peter Orji, 42, with 400 bottles of codeine syrup; 7,590 pills of opioids including tramadol 225mg heading to Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
He said while David Michael, 52, was arrested at Unguwa Ukku area of Kano on Sunday 24th December with 49 blocks of cannabis weighing 42.6kg, Umar Abdullahi, 27, was nabbed with 27, 350 pills of opioids at Gadar Tamburawa area of the city same day.