NDLEA intercepts 3 trailer loads of opioids, seizes 3.5m pills, 344,000 codeine bottles

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted three trailer loads of opioids at Abule Ado in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.

This is contained in a statement by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi made available to newsmen in Abuja.

Babafemi also said that three suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure comprised of 3,450,000 pills and 344,000 bottles of codeine syrup.

He said the multi-billion naira consignments were loaded into two 40-ft container trucks and another 20-ft truck at the AML bonded terminal, Abule-Osun, near the International Trade Fair complex.

The NDLEA director of media and advocacy said that the trucks later headed to a warehouse at Abule-Ado where NDLEA officers eventually arrested the suspects and recovered the opioid consignments on May 9.

“Those arrested include the warehouse agent, Cosmas Obiajulu, 51; Ridwan Balogun, 25, and Banjo Tayo, 30, drivers of two of the trucks while the third driver jumped off to escape arrest, “he said.

In the same vein, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, May 7, arrested a suspect, Nwankwo Ejike, in Coker area of Lagos.
Babafemi said that 100 litres of codeine syrup were recovered from him while 60 litres of the same substance were seized from Clinton Akinye in the same area same day.

According to him, not less than 37.5kg of marijuana concealed in a Toyota camry car was recovered from another suspect, Adegbola Segun, 47, when the car was intercepted at Mile 12 area of Lagos on Monday, May 6.

Another consignment of opioids consisting of 59,106 pills of tramadol and different quantities of codeine syrup and rohypnol were also intercepted, he said.

Babafemi said that the drugs which were being taken across the border to Garua, Cameroon, was seized by NDLEA officers on Monday, May 6, on the Mubi-Yola road, Adamawa state.

“Two suspects linked to the drugs: Abubakar Auwal, 39, and Adamu Abubakar, 25, (a.k.a Bamanga), a trans-border trafficker, who was to take the consignment from Mubi across to Cameroon were promptly arrested.

Meanwhile, in Edo, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, May 11 raided the Iguiye forest in Ovia North East LGA, where a total of 11, 636.185kg marijuana was destroyed on three farms, measuring 4.654474 hectares.

Babafemi said that an additional 188kg of the same psychoactive substance was recovered and a suspect, Itah Nyong, was arrested during the overnight operation.

In a related development, a 75-year-old man, Jibril Audu, on Friday, May 10, was apprehended allegedly in possession of 7.5 kilograms of marijuana at Oke-asa village, Ijero-Ekiti, Ekiti state during a sting operation.

Similarly, another suspect, Tikwase Nytor, 70, was also nabbed with 15.6kg of marijuana on Thursday, May 9.

Babafemi said that Nytor’s arrest was made during a raid operation at Achusa and International Market Road, Makurdi, Benue.