…foils Italy-bound cocaine, opioid shipments in prayer beads, others

…nabs 2 suspects; recovers large consignments of skunk, heroin, opioids in Kano, Kwara, Kaduna, Taraba, Abia, Osun, and FCT raids

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Desperate bids by some drug trafficking organisations (DTO) to move illicit consignments such as Cocaine, Tramadol, Loud, Molly and others concealed in prayer beads, packs of board games, female cloths to the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Poland, and United Arab Emirates through logistics firms and the Lagos airport have been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.

At least, two suspects behind some of the aborted missions at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos have already been arrested. One of them is a 43-year-old businesswoman, Jakpor Egware May who was nabbed at the Gate ‘C’ departure hall of the Lagos airport while attempting to board an Air France flight to Italy on Saturday 8th March 2025.

When she was searched, 190 parcels of tramadol 225mg and another parcel of skunk, a strain of cannabis, were recovered from her luggage. In her statement, she claimed that she bought the drugs herself, with the intention to resell them in Italy.

At the export shed of the Lagos airport, NDLEA officers on Tuesday 11th March arrested
a 60-year-old suspect, Yahaya Fatai Ayinla, while attempting to ship a cargo containing cloths used to conceal 400grams of skunk going to New York, United States of America.

At some logistics companies in Lagos, efforts by drug traffickers to export over two kilograms of Loud, Molly, Tramadol 365mg, 225mg hidden in Vitamin C bottles and female cloths to the US were frustrated by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI. Other shipments of 230grams of cocaine concealed in prayer beads, soles of locally made shoes and packs of board games heading to Saudi Arabia, Poland and UAE were equally intercepted between Monday 10th and Wednesday 12th March.

In Kano, a total of 727 blocks of compressed skunk weighing 479kg were recovered from a 40-year-old suspect Hassan Haruna who was arrested by NDLEA operatives at Chalawa area of the state on Wednesday 12th March, while no fewer than 58,300 pills of tramadol were intercepted along Kabba-Obajana highway, Kogi state in a commercial bus coming from Lagos enroute Abuja on Tuesday 11th March.
Raid operations in Kachia, Kaduna state on Thursday 13th March led to the arrest of Idris Hamza, 21, with 4,900 pills of tramadol 225mg seized from him, just as a similar exercise in Hayin Banki area of Kaduna North LGA, on Friday 14th March resulted in the arrest of 25-year-old Aminu Magaji from whom 2,900 tablets of tramadol 225mg were recovered.

While a total of 40, 200 tablets of tramadol 225mg were recovered from the duo of Olowoko Faruk and Akeem Ridwan along Ilorin – Jebba expressway, Bode Saadu, Kwara state on Friday 14th March, NDLEA operatives equally seized 21,700 capsules of same opioid from a suspect Salisu Usman along Eiyenkorin expressway, Ilorin on Thursday 13th March.
In Taraba state, NDLEA officers on Friday 14th March arrested Polycarp Adeku, 35, at Bente road, Kurmi LGA, with 15.77Kg skunk, while in Osun state, operatives on Thursday 13th March, intercepted a commercial bus marked SGB 564 YS coming from Idumota, Lagos Island in front of King University, Ode-omu, with a total of 48.7kg Ghanaian Loud, Colorado and Canadian Loud, all strains of cannabis. Not less than nine suspects have been arrested in connection with the seizure in Osogbo and Ile-Ife during follow up operations.

A 58-year-old suspect Ade Esan (aka Pastor) was on Tuesday 11th March arrested along Gwagwalada expressway, FCT Abuja with 27,800 pills of tramadol 225mg, while another suspect Usman Mohammed, 26, was nabbed same day with various quantities of skunk and cocaine at Wuse zone 3 area of Abuja.

In Abia state, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 15th March raided the Ntigha community, Isiala-Ngwa North LGA, where a 34-year-old suspect Chinaza Nwogu (aka Young Money) was arrested with 274grams of heroin, 141grams of methamphetamine, 2.931kg of cannabis sativa, 4grams of cocaine and Seven Hundred and Fifty Three Thousand, Fifteen Naira (N753,015.00) monetary exhibit.
Meanwhile, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of U.P.E school, Ilara Epe, Lagos; Government Day Secondary School, Jigalambu, Michika, Adamawa state; Agbegi High Grammar School, Dekina, Kogi state; Capital City Secondary School, Awka, Anambra state; and Eso-Obe Comprehensive High School, Ikoro Ekiti, Ekiti state, among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, DOGI, Kano, Kwara, Kaduna, Taraba, Abia, Osun, and FCT Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.

A 45-year-old teacher identified as Musa Wada has been nabbed in Jigawa State in connection with beheading and cutting off the genital organs of his 14-year-old Almajiri student, Bashir Adamu.

Confirming the development, the spokesperson of Jigawa Police Command, SP Lawan Shiisu, said the suspect was arrested by detectives following a tip-off.

SP Shiisu said upon interrogation, the teacher confessed that the deceased died while serving punishment for his absenteeism from school but he decided to behead and cut off the victim’s head and genitals to deceive the public into believing that the teenage boy was killed by a ritualist.

According to him, “On 13/03/2025 at about 1530hrs, one Mal. Musa Wada ‘m’ age 45yrs of Jikas-Dabaja village, Gwaram LGA, was arrested in connection with the gruesome killing of his pupil (Almajiri), one Bashir Adamu.

“Following a tip-off, detectives attached to the Gwaram Division successfully arrested the suspect.

“On interrogation at the State Criminal Investigation Department Dutse, the suspect confessed that, the late Bashir Adamu was his student but refused to come to school; when he questioned him about the reason for his absence, he failed to provide a satisfactory response; as a result, he decided to punish him.

“In the process, Bashir lost consciousness and passed away.

While attempting to deceive the public into believing that ritualists had killed Bashir, he decided to cut off his head and genital organs.

“He added that the removed head and genital organs were buried in his farmland.

“Recalled that, on 12/03/2025 at about 2200hrs, information from Divisional Police Headquarters Gwaram, noted that, beheaded body with no genital organs was sighted by the roadside along Jikas-Dabaja village, Gwaram LGA which already started decomposing.

“The corpse was later identified as Bashir Adamu, a student (Almajiri) of one Mal Musa Wada.

“Upon completion of investigation, the suspect will be arraigned before the court to face the full wrath of the law.”

Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo has cried out over the selection process of traditional rulers in Nigeria, lamenting that individuals with criminal backgrounds, including drug addicts, bandits, and kidnappers, have infiltrated royal institutions.

In his recently published book, Nigeria: Past and Future, unveiled last week, Obasanjo criticized the unchecked proliferation of traditional rulers, many of whom, he claimed, lack the necessary training and moral compass to uphold the dignity of the institution.

He noted that the traditional training and mentorship system that once preserved the integrity of royal offices has been abandoned, contributing significantly to Nigeria’s political and social instability.

“Today, we see criminals, drug addicts, vagabonds, bandits, and kidnappers posing as traditional rulers,” he remarked, emphasizing that instead of safeguarding culture and justice, some monarchs now engage in acts that further erode the nation’s stability.

Citing an example, he condemned the involvement of a monarch in electoral malpractice, questioning how a traditional ruler could stoop to ballot box snatching during an election.

Reflecting on the past, Obasanjo recalled an era when traditional rulers commanded widespread respect and played a crucial role in governance. However, he lamented that such honour had been eroded over time.

He called for urgent reforms to restore the dignity and value of traditional leadership, arguing that rather than being a liability, they should contribute to national development.

“The aura, dignity, and respect of traditional rulers must be restored, making them an asset rather than a burden to Nigeria’s progress,” he stressed.

Obasanjo further underscored the importance of moral reformation among traditional rulers, particularly those with deep-rooted historical significance, asserting that if properly restructured, they could play a key role in shaping the country’s future.