The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted several attempts by members of some transnational drug trafficking organisations to export illegal drugs, including methamphetamine and skunk, through the Lagos International Airport and courier companies in Lagos.
At the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives on 12th September intercepted an intending passenger going to Oman, Ugwu Peter Tochukwu, while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight. Upon thoroughly searching his luggage, 7.50 kilograms of skunk were concealed inside crayfish mixed with dry bitter leaf.
In the same vein, a statement by the spokesman of the Agency, Mr Femi Babafemi, said, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations attached to some courier companies also intercepted Dubai-bound 2.9 kilograms of skunk and 14 grams of methamphetamine concealed in bags of semovita and soles of ladies’ high heel shoes respectively.
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In Imo state, the statement said, operatives on patrol along the Aba-Owerri expressway on 13th September intercepted five pregnant teenage girls suspected to be victims of child trafficking used as a baby factory. They were picked up while being relocated from their hideout in the Naze area of Owerri to the Ikenegbu area of the state capital.
The victims include Chioma Emmanuel, 15, Uma Faith, 15, Divine Adimonye, 17, Opara Gift, 15, and Amarachi Mbata, 16. Their statements claimed they didn’t know the men who impregnated them. The Imo state command of the Agency has since been directed to hand them over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigations.
While two suspects, Moses Akowe, and Sunday Gabriel, were arrested with 227.1kgs of cannabis on 11th September at Ikebe village, Ankpa LGA, Kogi state, a female suspect, Bilikisu Salako, was nabbed with 108kgs of the same substance on 16th September in Ifo area of Ogun state.
According to Babafemi, a total of 100 blocks of cannabis weighing 55kgs and 600 bottles of codeine-based syrup seized from the duo of Salisu Murtala and Shafi’u Dahiru on 11th September along Abuja road have been traced to two other suspects: Muntari Nasiru and Yusuf Ali who were arrested in follow up operations in Kano.
In FCT Abuja, 27-year-old Kingsley Chimaobi was arrested with 6,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup along Lokogoma-Abuja road on 11th September.
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Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Lagos had, on 13th September, sentenced to five years imprisonment a drug dealer, Segun Odeyemi, for trafficking and dealing in 3,842 kilograms of skunk.
He was arrested in July while conveying 89 jumbo bags of the illicit substance in his truck around the Eleganza area of Ajah, Lekki. He was subsequently charged in suit number FHC/L/388C/2023 before Justice Akintayo Aluko.
All over the country, the statement said, various commands of the Agency continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), sensitization activities in the past week, taking advocacy messages to the stakeholders.
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While commending the officers and men of the Lagos International Airport, Imo, Kaduna, Ogun, Kogi, FCT and Lagos Commands, as well as those of DOGI for intensifying their drug control efforts, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd) equally applauded the commitment of all the commands across the country to work with other stakeholders to take the WADA sensitization lectures and advocacy messages to the communities, schools, worship centres, workplaces and traditional institutions. He charged them not to relent.