Arrested drug suspects
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested three young suspects with locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and recovered large quantities of illicit drugs during separate operations across several states.
The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said the operatives also destroyed a 5,000-kilogram cannabis plantation in Ondo State as part of its ongoing nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking and related crimes.
He said three suspects — Bashir Usman, 20, Abubakar Nuhu, 18, and Abdulrahman Abdulwahab, 18 — were arrested along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway at Chachi in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State.
According to him, the officers recovered two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles with a magazine, a locally made pistol with a magazine, and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition hidden inside a travel bag.
He said in Gombe State, operatives arrested Sabi’u Umar, 27, and Hassana Muhammad, 19, in separate operations that led to the recovery of 154,480 capsules of tramadol.
Along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State, Ifesinachi Godwin, 25, was arrested with 43.85 kilograms of skunk.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives raided a cannabis plantation located inside the Ita-Ogbolu forest, where 5,000 kilograms of skunk cultivated on a two-hectare farmland were destroyed.
Four suspects — Blessing Effiong, Saviour Peter, David Friday Sunday and Ability Peter Sunday — were arrested during the operation, while 48 kilograms of dry and fresh cannabis were recovered as exhibits for prosecution.
Beyond enforcement, the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through awareness programmes in schools, workplaces and communities.
During the week, NDLEA officers educated students and staff of St. Ferdinand School in Ogbomoso, Oyo State; Unizik Secondary School, Awka, Anambra State; Scholars Nursery and Primary School, Epe, Lagos State; and Government Technical Training School, Jalingo, Taraba State.
The Delta Ports Command of the agency also paid an advocacy visit to His Royal Majesty, King Couple Mackson Oromoni Mobene III, Pere Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, to strengthen community support for the campaign against drug abuse.
Commending officers from Lagos, Tin-Can Port, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and the FCT Commands, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), urged them to remain committed to the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply reduction and public enlightenment.
The NDLEA has continued to combine enforcement with public education, saying the twin strategy is aimed at reducing both the availability of illicit drugs and the demand for them across Nigeria.
