Illicit drugs imported from India and Ghana have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over the last one week.
Also intercepted are large quantities of methamphetamine at the Murtala Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos during attempted smuggle to Brazil and United Kingdom.
In his usual weekend briefing of successes of the NDLEA, the spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi also disclosed that a 64-year-old former Divisional Police Officer of Idanre Police station, Ondo state, who was dismissed from service for drug offences, Mr. Monday George Chika, has again been arrested with an accomplice, Emmanuel Eniola, 40, with 280 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 168 kilogrammes.
Babafemi said over 22,160 kilogrammes of codeine syrup, methamphetamine and skunk were seized at Apapa seaport and a notorious drug den, Akala in Mushin, Lagos State in two major operations in the state by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
He said while a total of 14,080 kilogrammes codeine syrup (8,080 litres) and 4,352.43 kilogrammes cold caps used to conceal the former in a 40ft container imported from India, were intercepted on Wednesday 2nd February, 2022 at the Apapa port, cannabis/loud/skunk imported from Ghana and methamphetamine weighing 3,727.7 kilogrammes were seized in an early morning raid at Akala, Mushin where 17 suspects including five females were arrested last Thursday.
He disclosed that the seizure at the Lagos seaport followed intelligence from foreign partners and cooperation of other stakeholders at the port.
Babafemi said at Akala, NDLEA Strike Force operatives in their numbers with support from the military stormed fortified warehouses in the drug den and evacuated bags and bottles of cannabis, loud, skunk, skuchies and methamphetamine as well as the 17 suspects for further investigation.
The spokesman also revealed that a female drug kingpin, Mrs. Jemilat Seriki, who is one of the owners of 12,385 pellets of loud imported from Ghana and intercepted at Eko Atlantic beach, Victoria Island Lagos on Saturday 27th November 2021, has been arrested by narcotic officers after weeks of manhunt.
According to him, Mrs. Seriki, a.k.a Iya Ilorin admitted being one the owners of the consignments seized, adding that her bags of drugs had ‘Jah Bless’ written on them.
He added that when her consignments were eventually identified and sorted, she has 16 bags with the inscription containing drugs weighing 668.85 kilogrammes.
He said at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, attempts by some traffickers to export different quantities of methamphetamine to Brazil and United Kingdom were scuttled by narcotic officers at the airport.
According to him, the first bid was made on Friday 28th January through the SAHCO export shed where operatives intercepted 0.80 kilogrammes of Meth concealed in relaxer plastic container heading to the United Kingdom. A suspect, Akuta Chioma Lucy who presented the consignment for search had been arrested for further investigation.
The second attempt was on last Friday during the outward clearance of passengers at Gate ‘C’ Departure hall of the airport when an intending male passenger on Ethiopian Airline going to Brazil, Onyeaghala Chidi was intercepted with 500 grammes of Meth concealed inside three plastic hair relaxer containers.
He said also at the airport, a male passenger, Iliyasu Yushau, coming from Kampala, Uganda via Nairobi, Kenya was intercepted by operatives with 268 debit cards belonging to Access Bank, GTBank and Zenith Bank, during the inward clearance of passengers on the flight on Sunday 30th January.
In Edo State, operatives last Friday stormed the Igbogiri forest, Orhionwon local government area and destroyed four dry season cannabis farms measuring 3.1 hectares, following the evacuation of 20 bags of compressed blocks of Cannabis weighing 269.5 kilogrammes stored in a bush at Uzebba, Owan West local government area, the previous day and the arrest of Afadama James, 42, with 348 kilogrammes cannabis at Owan, Ovia North East local government area last Wednesday.
He noted that arrests were also made in Delta, Plateau, Niger States and in the FCT.
On the arrest in Niger state, Babafemi said a 64-year-old former Divisional Police Officer of Idanre Police station, Ondo state, who was dismissed from service for drug offences, Mr. Monday George Chika, has again been arrested with an accomplice, Emmanuel Eniola, 40, with 280 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 168 kilogrammes.
He said they were arrested on Sunday 30th Jan. in Mokwa, Niger state, after their Toyota Avalon car marked EKY 429 BZ (Lagos) loaded with the substance at Idanre and heading to Kanji, Borgu area of the state was intercepted.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) has commended officers and men of the Strike Force, Apapa seaport, MMIA, Lagos, Niger, Edo, Borno, Plateau, Kwara, FCT and Delta Commands of the agency for the successful interdiction operations that led to the seizure of thousands of kilograms of illicit drugs from across the country in the past week. He charged them and their compatriots in other commands not to rest on their oars.
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
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