By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Hundreds of thousands of opioid pills and capsules, alongside 8,725 kilogrammes of powdered tramadol worth over ₦6.98 billion, have been intercepted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in operations targeting illicit drug supplies across Nigeria.
The series of operations across Lagos, Kano, Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory also led to the arrest of an 85-year-old woman in Edo State.
NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, provided details of the operations in an emailed statement to PerSecondNews on Sunday.
At the Tincan port in Lagos, operatives also intercepted 55kg of Canadian Loud valued at ₦165 million, concealed in brown cartons inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle in a 40-foot container on Monday, October 12.
The powdered tramadol shipment disguised as maize from India, was discovered during a joint examination on Friday, October 2, with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies at the APM Terminals in Apapa, Lagos.
Laboratory tests confirmed the substance was tramadol hydrochloride powder. The 349 bags, weighing 8,725kg, were separated from their concealment on Wednesday, October 14.
According to the agency, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, operatives intercepted a Saudi Arabia-bound cannabis consignment concealed in a gallon of palm oil on Friday, October 16.
The passenger, Fatimah Ahmad, was intercepted during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa. The gallon contained 511.75g of cannabis.
During interrogation, Ahmad told operatives that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, had given her the gallon. Yahaya was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.
Elsewhere, at Idumota Market, Lagos, on Wednesday, October 14, Elizabeth Chidera Kalu was arrested with 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly recovered from her store.
Two 35-year-old men, Idowu Daudu and Ahmed Oniyinde, were arrested in Mushin, Lagos, on Thursday, October 15, with 59.95kg and 61.23kg of skunk, respectively.
Following credible intelligence, a truck coming from Trade Fair Market was intercepted along Iyana Oba on Thursday, October 15.
The truck’s loading manager, Tajudeen Adeduntan, and his assistant, Azeez Sikiru, were arrested after operatives found 18,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg concealed in cartons labelled Rambo insecticide.
In another interdiction in Edo State, six suspects were arrested during raids in Warake, Ivhiaro and the Ewe/Irue communities of Owan East Local Government Area between October 15 and 16.
Octogenarian, Grace Ehimeka, was also arrested in Warake with 179kg of skunk, while Ayo Aigberadion, 53, was found with 220.8kg of skunk.
Other suspects were Ali Garba, 57, with 5.852kg of skunk; Habib Braimoh, 45, with 100g; Musa Mubid, 35, with 2kg of cannabis, cannabis seeds, tramadol, Swinol and diazepam; and Hope Okoro, 35, with 237g of Loud.
Elsewhere in Ondo State, operatives destroyed 7,500kg of skunk cultivated on three hectares of farmland during a raid on a cannabis farm in the Okemoro Isinbode camp forest on Saturday, October 17.
Five suspects were arrested, Asikpo Ekpeyoung, 43; Solomon Okpani, 22; Ubong Friday, 35; Joseph Friday, 22; and Ekenimi Seth, 35.
The exhibits recovered included 92 bags of skunk weighing 1,267kg, 11kg of cannabis seeds and 3kg of fresh stems, bringing the total weight of the recovered exhibits to 1,281kg.
In a separate operation in Owo, Ondo State, on Friday, October 16, 53-year-old Okunebe Ndidi was tracked to a hideout in Ameyinti, where 25 bags of cannabis weighing 375kg were recovered.
In Bauchi State, 894,800 pills of tramadol capsules and Exol-5 tablets were recovered from Shamsu Garba, 35, at Ragwam village in Katagum Local Government Area on Wednesday, October 14, after a Volkswagen Golf wagon was intercepted.
On the same day, a patrol along the Bauchi-Gombe Road led to the recovery of 291 blocks of cannabis weighing 265kg from an abandoned vehicle at Tudun Natsira village.
In Kano State, Ali Abdullahi, 38, and Ibrahim Adamu, 23, were arrested along the Zaria-Kano Road on Tuesday, October 13, with 30,100 tablets of tramadol 225mg.
The following day, Murtala Dayyabu, 54, was arrested on Niger Street, Malan Kato, with 100,000 tablets of Exol-5.
In Kaduna State, a raid at Kayimi village led to the arrest of Mohammed Sani, 48; Zaharadeen Shafiu, 29; and Yakubu Abdullahi, 20, with 496.5kg of cannabis.
In a separate operation at Food Palace on Ali Akilu Road, Kaduna, John Ayo David, 39, was arrested with 49,500 tablets of tramadol 225mg.
In the Federal Capital Territory, 42-year-old Odo Jonas Ejike was arrested at Utako on Saturday, October 17, with 29,500 tramadol capsules.
Im the same vein, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign during the week, reaching schools and communities across several states.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, retired Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa applauded officers and men of the Apapa, Tincan, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Kano and FCT Commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.
He charged them to sustain the agency’s efforts against drug trafficking networks while continuing its balanced approach to drug control.
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