By Joe Udo
ABUJA (CONVERSEER) – A 75-year-old grandpa Uchelue was among six suspects arrested with illicit substances in raids by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in parts of Anambra state just as 30-year-old Alfa Andrew was taken into custody following the destruction of 178,750 kilogrammes of skunk on his 71.5 hectares of cannabis farm in Mayodoga forest, Sardauna local council area of Taraba state.
A statement by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters Abuja indicates that Uchelue was nabbed at Umudioka, Dunukofia local government area of Anambra with 26.7kg skunk on Thursday, Eneh, Emmanuel, Uwakwe, Chukwujekwu, Ifeanyichukwu and Odoh were arrested with various quantities of opioids and skunk at Nkwelle and Amichi areas of the state.
In his case, Andrew was arrested with a Dane gun on Tuesday when NDLEA operatives supported by personnel of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Forest Security Service, Mambila Youth Vanguard and Vigilante, stormed his 71.5 hectares of cannabis farm located at Mayodoga forest, Mayosabere ward in Sardauna LGA, Taraba State.
The team destroyed 178,750 kilogrammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis. About 104,900 capsules of tramadol concealed in the driver compartment of a fuel tanker, suspected to be an illicit consignment going to insurgents in parts of Borno state, were intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the Abuja/Kaduna tollgate in Kaduna on Friday. In contrast, a suspect, Hassan, was immediately taken into custody.
It adds that a suspect, Kabir, 45, was nabbed with 34.150kg skunk by NDLEA officers at Gwargwaje – Zaria checkpoint.
Following intelligence and surveillance, NDLEA operatives nabs the major supplier of illicit opioids in Borno state, 33-year-old Uchenna shortly after he received his supplies from Onitsha, Anambra state.
Recovered from his apartment at Chescon, Pompomary area of Maiduguri include 30,640 pills of tramadol 225mg; 7,940 tablets of rohypnol and a cash of Seven Million Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine Thousand, Two Hundred Naira (N7,999,200.00) only in N200 new notes.
In Nasarawa state, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect, Abubakar, 36, with 79,040 pills of tramadol and diazepam at Abacha park, Mararaba Karu. This followed the arrest of Babangida 47, in Lafia, with 30,410 pills of tramadol and Rohypnol as well as 38 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup concealed in a deep freezer from Asaba, Delta state.
A 23-year-old suspect, Mohammed, was also arrested in a follow-up operation at Ngorore, Adamawa State, following the interception of his way-billed consignment of 15,000 capsules of tramadol concealed in sacks of animal feed at the Gombe mega park.
In Kano, the duo of Ashiru, 20, and Aminu, 22, were arrested on the Kano-Hadeja road, with 1.5kg skunk and 25,000 pills of exol-5 while two other suspects: Ali 37, and Muhammad 42, were nabbed by NDLEA officers along Zaria-Kano road, Gadan Tamburawa, with 8,080 bottles of a New Psychoactive Substance and 25.7kg skunk in their possession.
No fewer than 250,000 tablets of Exol-5 were seized from a suspect, Alhasaan, 25, in the Zango area, Ungogo LGA, Kano, by NDLEA operatives.
A suspect, Hamisu, was arrested in a follow-up operation in Yola, Adamawa state, after NDLEA operatives on patrol along Mararraba Lamurde intercepted a golf saloon car marked GME 253 HP driven by Sani and coming from Gombe state, loaded with sacks of pepper, used to conceal 79 blocks of skunk weighing 58kg belonging to Hamisu.
In Edo state, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Ewu-Auchi road, Etsako West LGA, intercepted 64,250 pills of opioids, mainly tramadol, in a commercial bus coming from Onitsha, Anambra state and going to Okene, Kogi state, while a suspect, Mohammed, 36, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
Two suspects, Elves 45 and David 35, were arrested when NDLEA operatives raided Queen Elizabeth, Aponmun Reserved Camp, Ondo, in Ondo state, where 117.5kg of processed cannabis and seeds were recovered from them. A total of 164 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered from the base of a suspect, Michael, in the Mushin area of Lagos, where he was arrested by NDLEA operatives.
In what appears to be the single largest seizure of Loud and Colorado, two strong strains of cannabis, in Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence raided Nova Street, behind New Creation School, Ado-Ekiti where 5.3 kilogrammes of Loud and Colorado as well as 2.5 grammes of Methamphetamine were seized from a 42-year-old drug kingpin Ajayi Idowu (a.k.a Atiku).
