The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has at the weekend nabbed a wanted kingpin, the community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba.
This, the agency said, followed the arrest of the community leader’s two wives: Hauwa and Asma’u and son, Sadat, as well as the seizure of a total of 226.2kg cannabis at their homes in Badagry on September 18.
It also nabbed a wanted drug kingpin Ajiboye Damilare Samuel (a.k.a Na God) after 12 months of evading arrest.
Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA headquarters Abuja, Femi Babafemi, said Ajiboye was arrested at a bank in Ogun State by the agency’s Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigation, which traced 20 bank accounts to the suspect and blocked them.
Babafemi, in a statement yesterday, said also following his arrest, the suspect’s warehouse in Akala, Mushin, Lagos, was raided by operatives, where a total of 1,101 kilogrammes of Ghana Loud, a strong strain of cannabis was recovered on September 4.
Babafemi said in Katsina, two ex-convicts: Muhammad Machido, 44, and Zakari Ya’u Buhari, 32, were arrested by NDLEA operatives with illicit substances.
He said while Muhammad was nabbed along Kano-Katsina highway, Kankia, last Monday, with 51,000 pills of opioids, Zakari was arrested in Daura with 14 blocks of cannabis weighing 7kg.
He said Zakari was first arrested on February 8, 2024 and sentenced by court to 15 months’ imprisonment with an option of 15,000 fine, which he paid.
Muhammad’s case was earlier arrested with 45kg cannabis sativa and 2.5kg tramadol on December 12, 2022 and sentenced to two years in prison.
According to the statement, the agency also arrested an auto spare parts dealer Ejiofor Nnaemeka Chiwuzie for attempting to export consignments of heroin and loud, a strain of cannabis, concealed in LED rechargeable lamps and sofa metal legs through the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos.
Babafemi said Ejiofor was arrested last Tuesday at the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos where he sells auto spare parts , following the seizure of his cargo containing auto parts, rechargeable lamps, sofa metal legs and electronics going to Liberia at the export shed of the Lagos airport.
He said concealed inside the LED lamps and sofa legs were 37 parcels of heroin weighing 1.10 kilograms and four blocks of loud with a total weight of 1.20kg. A follow up led to the arrest of two freight agents and Ejiofor.
The statement reads: “In the same vein, attempts by drug trafficking networks to export consignments of loud, tramadol pills, co-codamol tablets, pentazocine injection, dihydrocodeine and promethazine tabs through some courier companies to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Thailand and Oman were foiled by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI) attached to the logistics firms.
“While 2.3kg of loud hidden in a carton was going to Thailand, 749 grammes of tramadol concealed in soles of local footwears were heading to Oman, with 60 ampoules of pentazocine injection going to the United States.
“No less than 200 pills of co-codamol were meant for Australia while a total of 700 tablets of dihydrocodeine, promethazine and tramadol as well as 20 ampoules of pentazocine injection concealed in soles of footwears were heading to the United Kingdom. Going to Canada were 58 ampoules of pentazocine injection hidden in female clothes. All the seizures in the courier houses were made between September 23 and 24 in Lagos.
“In another operation in Lagos, no less than 9.7kg cannabis sativa and 50 litres of monkey tail, a fermented combo of cannabis and dry gin, were recovered from a suspect Florence Moses at Badore area of Ajah, Lekki on Tuesday 24th September.
“In Kogi, three suspects: Owolabi Dele, 42; Ayodele Monday, 40; and Olawale Ojo, 22, were arrested by NDLEA operatives along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway while conveying 132 sacks of cannabis weighing 2,062.00kg in a Mercedes container truck from Osun state to Dei Dei in Abuja. Another suspect, Benedict Simire, 57, was arrested at Ayetoro Road, Kabba, conveying 33.40kg of the same psychoactive substance and a pump action gun with six cartridges on Wednesday, September 25.
“On the same Wednesday, operatives of the Marine Command of NDLEA intercepted a two 40HP Yamaha engines boat bearing 71 bags of Ghana Loud weighing 2,982kgs along Alfa beach, Lekki area of Lagos. Men of the Nigerian Customs Service Western Marine Command were on hand to support the NDLEA officers to recover the boat and exhibits after the two suspects in the boat dived into the water.
“Also, on September 25, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, Rivers State intercepted 1,500 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup containing a total of 150,000 bottles during a joint examination of a targeted 40ft container, with men of Nigerian Customs and other security agencies.
“While NDLEA operatives in Niger State recovered 6,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection from Chukwudi Nwanoche, 38, at the former Minna city gate, their counterparts in Kano arrested Aminu Danmanya, 31, with 15,530 capsules of tramadol at Kano Residential Hotel, Katsina Road.
“In Plateau State, operatives on Friday 27th September arrested a female suspect Jummai Luka, 58, behind Jehovah Witness junction, Kabong, Jos North LGA, in possession of 12,000 pills of tramadol while NDLEA officers in Oyo state on Tuesday 24th September nabbed.
Segun Asogba, 50, with 601kg cannabis sativa and a Dane gun at Igangan town.
“While Benjamin Benjamin Ebei, 33, was arrested at Biase LGA Cross River State, with 38kg cannabis recovered from his vehicle, operatives in Edo State on September 24 raided a house along Okpuje road, Uzebba in Owan West LGA where they arrested a suspect Idonuan Ajilo, 53, and seized 112.5kg cannabis from his store.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) applauded the commands for their efforts, urging them not rest on their oars.