From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted 500 grams of cocaine hidden in 20 sets of religious books destined for Saudi Arabia on April 15.
NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) uncovered the 20 parcels during a search at a Lagos courier company. On the same day, another courier firm yielded 2.8 kilograms of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, concealed in a carton from the United States.
In Kano, NDLEA arrested 22-year-old Muhammad Mohammed, a suspected supplier to bandits, on April 13 along Bichi-Kano road. He had 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection taped to his thigh and private parts. Also on April 13, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, 43, was detained in Nasarawa, Kano, with 30 kilograms of skunk.
In Bayelsa, a raid on April 17 at a house in Yenagoa recovered 557.2 kilograms of skunk, 5.6 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 29.8 grams of heroin. Four suspects—Sarimiye Suwa Kurtis, 46; Roland Prosper, 34; Sarimiye Tare Paul, 45; and Fidelis Ugbesla, 46—were arrested.
Further operations included seizing 1,100 kilograms of skunk from a van in Surulere, Lagos, on April 17, with driver Ismail Abdullahi arrested. In Kaduna, 31,950 pills of tramadol and diazepam were recovered from Ike Ani, 30, in Zaria on 18 April. In Kebbi, 97 kilograms of skunk hidden in charcoal sacks were seized on April 18, with three suspects—Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28—detained.
In Anambra, Okafor Marcel, 48, was arrested with 11.5 kilograms of skunk, while in Osun, Ajala Mercy, 27, was nabbed with 43 litres of skushi on 15 April. In Edo, NDLEA destroyed 3,717.8625 kilograms of cannabis on 1.487145 hectares in Egbeta forest, recovering 136.5 kilograms of processed cannabis. At Tincan seaport, Lagos, Basorun Usman Kayode, 40, was arrested on 14 April for a 2023 Loud shipment, alongside Dauda Yakubu.
NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) continued with sensitisation lectures at schools and markets nationwide. Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd) commended the balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction.