A cartel run by Nwaobasi siblings have been smashed by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The spokesman of the anti- narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday said: “A cartel controlled by a drug baron, 49-year-old Kelechi Monday Nwaobasi and his 50-year-old elder sister, Ms. Chinwe Rose Nwaobasi, has been taken down by officers of the Special Operation Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, following the arrest of the siblings and seizure of cocaine and methamphetamine consignments worth over N4.1billion in street value from their hideout in Aba, Abia state.”
Babafemi disclosed that the special operation conducted last Thursday and Friday at 3B, Boundary Avenue, Aba and a residence along Ohia road, Ohia, Abia State followed months of intelligence gathering, leading to the arrest of the ring leaders and the combined seizure of 20.76 kilogrammes of cocaine and methamphetamine from them.
He said in a related development, NDLEA operatives in Lagos state have uncovered an expansive warehouse stocked with a large consignment of codeine-based syrup, located at Comfort Oboh area of Kirikiri, where four persons connected with the importation and distribution of the opioid were arrested during an intelligence-led raid on the facility.
He added that those arrested include: Kingsley Amanambu Obumneke, 38; Emeka Emmanuel, 48; Bornaventure Ugochukwu, 59; and Martin Dike, 56, while a total of 82,000 bottles of the opioid worth more than N600 million in street value, Toyota Tacuma truck and two buses used for distributing the substance were recovered from the premises last Monday when NDLEA officers conducted the operation.
He said two days after, last Wednesday, operatives intercepted another suspect, Ibrahim Abdulhamid with 29,100 pills of tramadol and other opioids as well as 3.9 litres of codeine syrup at Alaba Suru, Ojo local council area of the state.
Babafemi also said a total of 230,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and 200mg were recovered from the duo of Yasir Rabi’u, 23, and Abubakar Ado, 30, who are major distributors of illicit drugs in Kano and Jigawa states, when they were arrested last on Monday at Gadar Tamburawa area of Kano.
In the same vein, another suspect, Hassan Abdullahi Ali, 25, was nabbed with 150 bottles of codeine syrup at Kofar Nassarawa area of Kano last Tuesday.
In Ogun state, NDLEA operatives on Monday 10th June seized 390kg of cannabis and arrested the trio of Muhammad Sani, Nura Mohammad and Samaila Rabe during an early morning raid at Ibese area of the state, while officers last Wednesday bursted a skuchies making factory at Sabo area of Shagamu town where seven suspects were arrested. The suspects are: Kareem Jamiu; Oriyimi Ayo; Bamidele Wasiu; Rasheed Olarewanju; Ramota Lawal; Amudalat Olarewanju; and Adeniyi Omotosho. Exhibits recovered from them are: 387 litres of skuchies; 70 litres of industrial codeine; 25kg cannabis and different quantities of tramadol, rophynol, diazepam, as well as various equipment used in the production of the new psychoactive substance.
Babafemi said not less than 10,534.78 kilogrammes of cannabis were destroyed on 4.213912 hectares of farmland last Wednesday when NDLEA officers raided Uhen forest in Ovia North East council area of Edo state where four suspects: Frank Ishoku, 38; Clifford Ossai, 49; Vanger Timothy, 30; and John Oluwaseyi, 30, were nabbed and 16 kilogrammes processed cannabis was recovered for the purpose of prosecution.
In a similar development, 18,425 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance on 7.37 hectares of farmland was destroyed by NDLEA operatives supported by personnel of other security agencies in the thick forest of Ise Ekiti, Ekiti state last Friday.
In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, two suspects: Muhammad Abba, 33, and Samson Ehizogie, 42, were arrested with 3,550 bottles of “Akuskura”, a new mixture of psychotropic substances, by operatives during a raid last Friday at Garki Area 10 and Dutse Suokale, both within the FCT; while Emmanuel Ogechi, 24, was nabbed with 11,200 pills of tramadol last Wednesday ong Otukpo-Enugu road, by NDLEA operatives in Benue state, Anayo Onwe, 40, was arrested with 62.4 kilogrammes cannabis sativa at Nteje just as 1 kilogramme of methamphetamine belonging to a fleeing suspect, in Oraifite, both in Anambra state was seized. In Kwara state, Muhammed Musa, 24, was arrested with 33 kilogrammes cannabis at Bode-Saadu, Jebba, while Shokuro Adeola, 59, was nabbed with 11.5 kilogrammes of same substance along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Oyo state.
Babafemi said with the same vigour, 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.
Meanwhile, while commending the officers and men of the Special Operation Unit, Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Ekiti, Oyo, Kwara, Anambra, Benue and FCT commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) noted that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country are well appreciated. He however urged them not to rest on their oars but continue to intensify ongoing drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
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