The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that its operatives have recovered not fewer than 14,481,519 pills of Tramadol and bottles of codeine syrup worth over N13 billion in street value in Lagos State.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said the drugs were recovered in three major operations against drug cartels operating in Amuwo Odofin, Idumota and the SAHCO shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Babafemi stated that the three intelligence-led operations began with the raid of House 8/10, Hon. Wahuha Avenue, Divine Estate, Ago Palace area of Amuwo Odofin on Sunday, October 29, where 490,000 pills of Tramadol and 81,519 bottles of codeine syrup measuring 4,510, 000 mls were recovered.
On Tuesday, October 31, NDLEA operatives in a similar operation swooped on a secret warehouse operated by a billionaire Idumota trader identified as Nwaoha Anayo, located at Onitire, Aguda area of Surulere where 12,700,000 pills of Tramadol were recovered.
The NDLEA spokesperson further stated that at least six members of a syndicate using their official cover to facilitate the smuggling of illicit drugs through the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) warehouse at the Lagos airport into the country have been arrested and 1,210,000 pills of Tramadol seized from them in a painstaking operation that lasted weeks.
“The six suspects already in NDLEA custody include Oladele Sanya-Olu; Lawal Itunu Temitope; Sanamo Alla Daniel; Udeh Felix Monday; Musa Mutalib and Unege Evans Icibor, while three other suspects: Sarki Mubarak Salami; Abdullahi Aliyu (aka Aboki); and Monday Anwal, are now on the run and wanted by NDLEA,” Babafemi said.
Babafemi also said that at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, personnel of the agency on Sunday, October 29 intercepted another 50-year-old businessman identified as Nwokolo Ifeanyi Anthony, during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 878 to Amsterdam, Netherlands via Paris, France at the boarding gate and was body scanned, during which, the result was positive for illicit drug ingestion.
He stated that the suspect who travelled from Lagos to board the flight was subsequently kept under observation for some days during which he excreted a total of 86 pellets of heroin weighing 1.330 kilograms.
In another development, operatives of the NDLEA in Osun State on Saturday stormed the Obada Sawmill Forest in Owena-Ijesa, Oriade Local Government Area of the state where a 37-year-old suspect identified as Monday Sylvester, was arrested on a 6.01 hectares of cannabis farm.
He stated that the operatives destroyed the farm and recovered 489.8kg of the already processed plant.
Also, NDLEA operatives in Edo State raided a trans-loading point inside Avbiosi forest in the Owan West Local Government Area of the state where 603 kilograms of the illicit substance were seized.
Similarly, NDLEA officers in Ogun state on Friday recovered a Toyota Sienna bus from a ditch, at Ajebo Area, along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
“A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 460kg of the same substance, while a total of 116.5kg of cannabis sativa belonging to a suspect at large were seized at Olagunju, Mushin area of Lagos.
“While commending the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, Lagos, Osun, Edo and FCT Commands as well as those of DOGI for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, charged them and their compatriots across the country to remain focused as the agency expands its operations against drug cartels,” Babafemi stated.
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