The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recovered tons of illicit Drugs in a series of coordinated operations across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and 12 states, including Borno, Jigawa, Kwara, Kaduna, Ekiti, Edo, Kano, Delta, Oyo, Benue, Lagos and Ondo.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi said the operations were part of sustained efforts to dismantle drug supply networks and prevent illicit Drugs from reaching criminal and terror groups.
In Borno State, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, January 21 intercepted 179,590 pills of tramadol and diazepam concealed in sacks of charcoal and animal feed aboard a commercial vehicle travelling from Potiskum, Yobe State. A follow-up raid at Bulabulin, Maiduguri, led to the arrest of the consignment’s owner.
In a related operation, a female suspect was arrested on Friday, January 23 in Mokwa, Niger State, following the earlier seizure of 78,500 tramadol pills at Bode Saadu, Kwara State. The illicit Drugs were discovered in a truck coming from Lagos. Babafemi disclosed that the suspect’s husband was already in prison, facing trial for a similar offence.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA officers arrested a 72-year-old suspected drug dealer at Ilawe-Ekiti, alongside another suspect at Erijinyan Road. A total of 62 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered from both suspects.
The Edo State Command of NDLEA also took into custody a village head and another suspect after a joint operation with soldiers of the Nigerian Army 4 Brigade, Benin City. The raid at Lagos Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South-East LGA, led to the recovery of 681kg of skunk and 181kg of cannabis seeds on January 21.
In Kano State, three suspects were arrested in the Sabon Gari area on January 20 with 1,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection.
Similarly, two suspects were apprehended at Paris Lounge, Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo State, on January 22, with 181.5 litres of skuchies – a dangerous cocktail of skunk and other illicit Drugs.
In Benue State, a female suspect was arrested at Yes Ikyuan village, Guma LGA, with 210kg of skunk, while another 254.5kg of the same substance was seized along the Abaji–Toto road in the FCT on January 22.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers recovered 39,800 tramadol 225mg pills from two suspects at Alaba Rago, Mile 2 area, on January 19.
Babafemi further disclosed that NDLEA operatives in Delta State seized no fewer than 30,003 pills of tramadol, molly and other opioids, as well as 20 litres of codeine syrup, from a suspect along Sapele Road, Warri, on January 22.
In Ondo State, another suspect was arrested at Mobil Roundabout, Akure, on January 23, with 1,500 kilogrammes of skunk recovered.
Commending the operations, the NDLEA Chairman, Buba Marwa, praised officers across the affected commands for their professionalism, resilience and operational effectiveness.
Marwa urged them to sustain the momentum in both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts nationwide, stressing that the fight against illicit Drugs remained a critical national priority.
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