The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its war against drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria, as it raided a lounge in Osogbo, the Osun state capital, where a drug party was planned to take place and arrested some of the organisers with drug exhibits.
The agency also seized tons of illicit substances, including cannabis, tramadol, codeine, pentazocine, and methamphetamine, in various operations across the country.
According to a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, Femi Babafemi, the raid on the lounge in Osogbo followed credible intelligence that some persons were going to hold a night party tagged “Unholy Alliance…for Stoners and Drunkards” where different types of illicit substances were going to be sold and consumed by patrons.
He said the operatives swooped on the organisers soon after they began to gather at Berrymist Lounge located at Ofatedo area of Osogbo to start the party, and recovered illicit substances of abuse and drug paraphernalia from them.
Those arrested include: Ikotu Omolayo, 25; Fola Olabode, 30, and Akorede Adunni Ajibola, 22. He said the management of the Lounge has also been invited for further investigation.
Babafemi said this came on the heels of an earlier raid on Thursday 23rd Nov. at Area 5 forest reserve, Ile-Ife where operatives recovered 156kgs of cannabis sativa.
He also said operatives in Ogun state on Friday 24th November arrested two suspects: Adamu Ibrahim and Nura Sani at Ileke trailer garage, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, where 859 kilograms of cannabis sativa concealed among bags of sugar in a truck for onward transportation to Mokwa, Niger state were seized.
He said the consignment was loaded in Ogbese, Ondo state and hidden among bags of cement in a truck before being transloaded into another trailer bearing sugar in Ogun state.
Babafemi further said operatives in Edo state on Monday 20th Nov. stormed a warehouse at Obi Camp in Owan West LGA where they recovered 338kgs of cannabis concealed in sacks of charcoal, while in another operation in Ikhin forest, Owan East LGA, NDLEA officers seized 235kgs of the same psychoactive substance on Saturday 25th Nov.
He said a suspect, Onah Kenneth Ikechukwu, 32, was arrested at Jattu, Etsako West LGA with 11,690 capsules of tramadol, 295 bottles of codeine syrup and various quantities of Molly, Cannabis and Methamphetamine on Wednesday 22nd November.
Babafemi also said a similar raid in Lagos on Wednesday 22nd Nov. at Enu Owa Street, Lagos Island led to the recovery of 40,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 440,000 pills of tramadol in a store belonging to a suspect, Ebuka Amechi who is currently at large.
He said not less than 135,600 capsules of tramadol and 950grams of cannabis were seized from two suspects: Afamefuna Ibekwe, 37, and Sunday Onweh, 41, at Nkpor, Akuzor and Ose-Ogbaijo, Onitsha, respectively.
He also said 37,360 pills of different opioids and 250 bottles of codeine syrup coming from Onitsha, Anambra enroute Abuja were recovered from Muhammed Abba Khamis, 22, on Thursday 23rd Nov. along Okene- Lokoja-Abuja expressway.
Babafemi added that operatives in Ekiti state seized a total of 288kgs of cannabis at Odo-Owa forest in Ijero LGA on Saturday 25th Nov. He said at least, 116kgs of same psychoactive substance were seized from a suspect, Chinagoram Obaru, 24, who was arrested at Iju forest on Thursday 23rd Nov.
He said the agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation lectures in schools, communities, work places and others across the 36 states and the FCT.
He said some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and staff of Comprehensive High School, Abia, Udi LGA, Enugu; teachers and students of Dr. Nuhu Sanusi Junior/Senior Secondary School, Dutse, Jigawa; students of Haneef High School, Jos, Plateau; students of Akinorun Muslim Grammar School, Ikirun, Osun; students of Zaibadari Michika Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary School, Michika, Adamawa; and students of Government Secondary School, Gwagwalada, FCT.
“Meanwhile, operatives in Ogun state on Friday 24th November arrested two suspects: Adamu Ibrahim and Nura Sani at Ileke trailer garage, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, where 859 kilograms of cannabis sativa concealed among bags of sugar in a truck for onward transportation to Mokwa, Niger state. The consignment was loaded in Ogbese, Ondo state and hidden among bags of cement in a truck before being transloaded into another trailer bearing sugar in Ogun state. “In Edo state, operatives on Monday 20th Nov. stormed a warehouse at Obi Camp in Owan West LGA where they recovered 338kgs of cannabis concealed in sacks of charcoal, while in another operation
in Ikhin forest, Owan East LGA, NDLEA officers seized 235kgs of the same psychoactive substance on Saturday 25th Nov. A suspect, Onah Kenneth Ikechukwu, 32, was arrested at Jattu, Etsako West LGA with 11,690 capsules of tramadol, 295 bottles of codeine syrup and various quantities of Molly, Cannabis and Methamphetamine on Wednesday 22nd November.
“A similar raid in Lagos on Wednesday 22nd Nov. at Enu Owa Street, Lagos Island led to the recovery of 40,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 440,000 pills of tramadol in a store belonging to a suspect, Ebuka Amechi who is currently at large. Not less than 135,600 capsules of tramadol and 950grams of cannabis were seized from two suspects: Afamefuna Ibekwe, 37, and Sunday Onweh, 41, at Nkpor, Akuzor and Ose-Ogbaijo, Onitsha, respectively.
“While 37,360 pills of different opioids and 250 bottles of codeine syrup coming from Onitsha, Anambra enroute Abuja were recovered from Muhammed Abba Khamis, 22, on Thursday 23rd Nov. along Okene- Lokoja-Abuja expressway, operatives in Ekiti state seized a total of 288kgs of cannabis at Odo-Owa forest in Ijero LGA on Saturday 25th Nov. At least, 116kgs of same psychoactive substance were seized from a suspect, Chinagoram Obaru, 24, who was arrested at Iju forest on Thursday 23rd Nov.
“In the same vein, Commands across the 36 states and the FCT equally continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation lectures in schools, communities, work places and others. Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and staff of Comprehensive High School, Abia, Udi LGA, Enugu; teachers and students of Dr. Nuhu Sanusi Junior/Senior Secondary School, Dutse, Jigawa; students of Haneef High School, Jos, Plateau; students of Akinorun Muslim Grammar School, Ikirun, Osun; students of Zaibadari Michika Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary School, Michika, Adamawa; and students of Madarasatul-Islamiya Baichin Kako, Marna Gusau, Zamfara state, among others.
“Commending the arrests and seizures of the past week by officers and men of the Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Anambra, Ekiti, Kogi and Lagos Commands, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their compatriots across all formations of the Agency to continue to remain vigilant and double their efforts especially with the desperation of criminal networks to make money by all means as the yuletide season approaches.”