The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has busted a cartel controlled by a drug baron, 49-year-old Kelechi Monday Nwaobasi and his 50-year-old elder sister, Ms. Chinwe Rose Nwaobasi, in Aba, Abia State.

Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said they were arrested by officers of the Special Operation Unit of the agency while cocaine and methamphetamine consignments worth over N4.1 billion in street value were seized from their hideout in Aba, Abia state.

Babafemi said the special operation conducted on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th June, 2024 at 3B, Boundary Avenue, Aba and a residence along Ohia road, Ohia, Abia State followed months of intelligence gathering.

This, he said, led to the arrest of the ring leaders and the combined seizure of 20.76 kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine from them.

Babafemi said in a related development, NDLEA operatives in Lagos state have uncovered an expansive warehouse stocked with a large consignment of codeine-based syrup, located at Comfort Oboh area of Kirikiri.

He said four persons connected with the importation and distribution of the opioid were arrested during an intelligence-led raid on the facility.

Those arrested include Kingsley Amanambu Obumneke, 38; Emeka Emmanuel, 48; Bonaventure Ugochukwu, 59; and Martin Dike, 56.

Babafemi said a total of 82,000 bottles of the opioid worth more than N600 million in street value, a Toyota Tacoma truck and two buses used for distributing the substance were recovered from the premises on Monday 10th June 2024 when NDLEA officers conducted the operation.

He added two days after, Wednesday 12th June, operatives intercepted another suspect, Ibrahim Abdulhamid with 29,100 pills of tramadol and other opioids as well as 3.9 litres of codeine syrup at Alaba Suru, Ojo local council area of the state.

The statement read, “A total of 230,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and 200mg were recovered from the duo of Yasir Rabi’u, 23, and Abubakar Ado, 30, who are major distributors of illicit drugs in Kano and Jigawa states, when they were arrested on Monday 10th June at Gadar Tamburawa area of Kano. In the same vein, another suspect, Hassan Abdullahi Ali, 25, was nabbed with 150 bottles of codeine syrup at Kofar Nassarawa area of Kano on Tuesday 11th June.

“In Ogun state, NDLEA operatives on Monday 10th June seized 390kg of cannabis and arrested the trio of Muhammad Sani, Nura Mohammad and Samaila Rabe during an early morning raid at Ibese area of the state, while officers on Wednesday 12th June burst a skoochies making factory at Sabo area of Sagamu town where seven suspects were arrested.

“They include Kareem Jamiu; Oriyimi Ayo; Bamidele Wasiu; Rasheed Olarewanju; Ramota Lawal; Amudalat Olarewanju; and Adeniyi Omotosho. Exhibits recovered from them include 387 litres of skuchies; 70 litres of industrial codeine; 25kg cannabis and different quantities of tramadol, Rohypnol, diazepam, as well as various equipment used in the production of the new psychoactive substance.

“Not less than 10, 534.78 kilograms of cannabis were destroyed on 4.213912 hectares of farmland on Wednesday 12th June when NDLEA officers raided Uhen forest in Ovia North East council area of Edo state where four suspects: Frank Ishoku, 38; Clifford Ossai, 49; Vanger Timothy, 30; and John Peter Oluwaseyi, 30, were nabbed and 16kg processed cannabis was recovered for the purpose of prosecution.

“In a similar development, 18,425kg of the same psychoactive substance on 7.37 hectares of farmland was destroyed by NDLEA operatives supported by personnel of other security agencies in the thick forest of Ise Ekiti, Ekiti state on Friday 14th June.

In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, two suspects: Muhammad Abba, 33, and Samson Ehizogie, 42, were arrested with 3,550 bottles of “Akuskura”, a new mixture of psychotropic substances, by operatives during a raid on Friday 14th June at Garki Area 10 and Dutse Suokale, both within the FCT.

“While Emmanuel Ogechi, 24, was nabbed with 11,200 pills of tramadol on Wednesday 12th June along Otukpo-Enugu road, by NDLEA operatives in Benue state, Anayo Onwe, 40, was arrested with 62.4kg cannabis sativa at Nteje just as 1kg of methamphetamine belonging to a fleeing suspect, in Oraifite, both in Anambra state was seized. In Kwara state, Muhammed Musa, 24, was arrested with 33kg cannabis at Bode-Saadu, Jebba, while Shokuro Adeola, 59, was nabbed with 11.5kg of same substance along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Oyo state.

“With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities among others in the past week.

“These include WADA enlightenment lecture for students and teachers of Mind Builder College, Oyo town, Oyo state; students of Demonstration Secondary School, Kabba, Kogi; students of Government Secondary School, Bunkure, Kano; students of Command Day Secondary School, Ede, Osun; students and teachers of Khulafa-Rashideen Islamic School, Babanna, Niger state; and students of Aggrey Memorial Modern School, Arochukwu, Abia state, among others.

“While commending the officers and men of the Special Operation Unit, Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Ekiti, Oyo, Kwara, Anambra, Benue and FCT Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) noted that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country are well appreciated. He urged them not to rest on their oars but continue to intensify ongoing drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.”

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