Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 53-year-old physically challenged man, Ehiarimwiam Osaromo Emmanuel, at the departure hall of the MurtalaMuhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, for drug trafficking.
Ehiarimwiam was arrested on Sunday, August 28 on his way to Italy, via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the suspect, an indigene of Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State, was found to have concealed 5,000 tablets of Tramadol 225mg in his luggage.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that the suspect is a frequent traveller who often travels with lots of bags containing mainly food items, body cream, hair attachment and drinks.
“The suspect was said to have presented his usual large consignment to NDLEA operatives for search but held on to some packages, which were retrieved from him and properly searched during which the drugs were discovered,” he said.
Babafemi added that as part of ongoing efforts to demobilise and dismantle all organised criminal groups behind the production and distribution of crystal methamphetamine across the country, NDLEA operatives on Monday, August 29, raided a suspected clandestine laboratory at Opic Estate, Agbara, Lagos.
“Clues from the property led operatives to another in the vicinity where one Peter James was apprehended with some quantity of the substance.
“A follow up operation within the estate also led to the arrest of a meth dealer, Mathew Bobby Imonitie, who was caught with 4.033kilogrammes of the illicit substance,” he said.
Babafemi also disclosed that a raid at a rented apartment in RajiRasaki First Estate in Festac town, Lagos on Saturday, August 27, led to the seizure of 412,780 tablets of Tramadol and the arrest of one of the suspects involved, Kingsley Duru.
In the same vein, he said troops of 81 Division of the Nigerian Army had handed over to the Lagos Command of NDLEA 792 blocks of cannabis sativa smuggled from the Volta region of Ghana into Ogun State but intercepted at a checkpoint along the Ilaro-Benin Republic border.
Meanwhile, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested eight suspected bandits in Ala Forest, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The Director of Media and Advocacy of NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi confirmed the development in a statement, yesterday.
Babafemi named those arrested as Austin Dickson, 47, who is the gang leader; Sunday Adekunle, 31; KayodeOluwaseun, 29; KolawoleKazeem, 33; OladimejiMakinde, 37; Emeka Charles, 46; OjoOluwadare, 40; and LanreOluwajana, 44.
He said: “The suspected bandits were nabbed on Friday, September 2, 2022.
“Recovered from them include twenty-five bags of cannabis sativa weighing 296kgs, six explosive devices, six cartridges, four motorcycles, and assorted charms used in terrorizing farmers in the forest,” he said.
Babafemi said that the NDLEA operatives also discovered 5.5kg of cannabis concealed in CD players in a commercial bus along Sokoto-Bodinga road, on Saturday.
“Upon search, 5.5kgs of cannabis were discovered inside the CD players and the owner, Nasiru Ibrahim arrested.
“While in another bus, a suspected bandit, Sani Ibrahim, 37 was arrested with some ammunition and cannabis sativa along Kware road, Sokoto State,” he said.
Also, an Abuja businesswoman, OnyinyeNwoke, 38, has been arrested following an intelligence-led raid at her residence, 56 Aldenco Estate, Galadimawa.
He added that the operatives uprooted fresh stems of cannabis plants grown in the backyard of the house, while 800grams of cannabis seeds were also recovered from the house.
Babafemi quoted the Chairman, NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed BubaMarwa as commending the officers and men of the Sokoto, Ondo, and FCT for the arrests and seizures.
Marwa charged them and their compatriots across the country to intensify the heat on drug cartels in Nigeria while balancing their efforts on supply reduction with drug demand reduction activities.