NDLEA nabs monarch, others for drug trafficking

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 50-year-old traditional ruler in Osun State, the head of Akarabata community in Ile-Ife, Ba’ale Ige Babatunde, for possession of fresh cannabis plants that weighed 5 kilograms.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi.

The statement revealed that NDLEA operatives have also arrested a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Yusuf Abdulrahman, 25, at a Corpers Lodge in Sumaila area of Kano State with 1.250 kilograms of Loud.

Meanwhile, NDLEA officers have raided the Lagos base of a high-profile cocaine syndicate headed by a couple; Agbakoba John Mmadu, and Agbakoba Ijeoma Chinwe as well as their associate, Okoye Ifeoma Maryjane, where large consignments of class A drug meant for export and local distribution were recovered.

The raid carried out by a special operations unit of the agency followed months of intelligence gathering and surveillance on the syndicate notorious for packaging, distributing and trafficking of cocaine within and outside Nigeria.

The 54-year-old Agbakoba John-Mmadu was arrested at Ago palace way, Okota while his wife, Ijeoma-Chinwe, 39, and associate, Okoye Ifeoma-Maryjane, 31, who doubles as their stash keeper, were nabbed at Plot 2205 Eugene Ndubisi close, Lilly Estate, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, on Wednesday 3 July 2024.

Seven parcels of cocaine with a total weight of 7.652 kilogrammes were recovered from Mmadu at Ago Palace Way, not less than one 122 compressed pellets of the same drug weighing 2.42kilogrammes were seized from the duo of Ijeoma and Ifeoma at Lilly Estate, bringing the total seizure to 10.1 kilograms valued at over N2.1 billion in street value.

In another raid in Benue State on Thursday, July 4 a consignment of cocaine was intercepted by the agency at a checkpoint along Enugu road, Otukpo.

The illicit drug was concealed in an MP3 speaker sent as a waybill parcel. A swift follow up operation at Flight motor park in Otukpo led to the arrest of the owner, 25-year-old, Odeh Anthony.

NDLEA officers on a stop and search operation along Ngurore – Yola road in Adamawa State have on Wednesday, July 3 arrested a Chadian, Yves Ahmat Gali, in a commercial bus coming from Kano to Yola. The suspect was found with a loudspeaker used to conceal 20 compressed blocks, and nine plastic containers of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 5.200 kilograms.

Two suspects, Monday Ali, 49, and Jimoh Alewi, 37, were also arrested when NDLEA operatives raided Ikota forest in Ifedore Local Government Area (LGA), in Ondo state where a total of 42,500 kilograms of cannabis was destroyed on 17 hectares of farmland while 73.5kilogrammes of the same substance was recovered for the prosecution of the suspects during a five-day operation that ended on Monday 1st July.

In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), NDLEA operatives on Saturday 6th July arrested the duo of Sanusi Mamman, 28, and Usaini Ibrahim, 20, in a vehicle along Abaji- Gwagwalada with 1,132 bottles of codeine syrup, 13, 540 pills of tramadol, 50,000 pills of diazepam and 59 pills of rohypnol.

The suspects claimed they were bringing the opioids from Onitsha, Anambra State.

As part of the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), command and formations of the NDLEA have continued to sustain the campaign in schools and communities across Nigeria.

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), has commended that their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitization activities. He charged operatives across the country to maintain the tempo.

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