By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos
Attempts by a drug trafficker to export 4,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg to Malpensa, Italy has been busted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) following his arrest at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.
Identified as Yahaya Danjuma Oturah, he was said to have been nanbed by narcotics officers at the gate C departure hall of the Lagos airport on Friday, April 26, on an Ethiopian Airline flight.
He was among the 12 suspects arrested by the NDLEA in Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Adamawa and Bayelsa States over alleged trafficking and possession of assorted large quantities of illicit drugs.
According to a statement by the Director Media and Advocacy of the agency, the psychoactive substance was found concealed in women wears and granulated melon packed in the suspect’s backpack and another bag containing food items belonging to him.
In his statement, Oturah who is a frequent flyer confessed he was hired to courier the drug for 700 Euros on successful delivery of the consignment in Italy.
Revealing other arrests by the agency, Babafemi said, “In Bayelsa, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, April 24 arrested 28-year-old Jennifer Iliya at Amarata area of Yenagoa for producing and distributing cakes laced with illicit drugs especially cannabis sativa. At the time of her arrest, substantial number of the drugged cakes weighing 1.5kg were recovered from her.
“A 20-year-old hair stylist, Josephine Odunu and a dispatch rider, Edesemi Ikporo, 30, had been arrested on Sunday 10th March by NDLEA operatives for in Yenagoa for a similar offence.
“Two suspects: Joseph Dadik, 47, and Bensha Yari, 32, were arrested with 24,180 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 135.5 kilograms at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, while Adamu Umar, 18, was nabbed with 20.700kg cannabis when his house in Shuware area of Mubi, Adamawa state was raided on Friday 26th April.
“No less than 310.7kg cannabis was recovered on Thursday 25th April when NDLEA operatives raided parts of Mushin in Lagos state. While 300kg was seized at Olatunji Street, Mushin, 10.7kg of same substance was retrieved from two suspects: Tijani Wasiu and Suleiman Aisha at Anifowose, Mushin.
“While Stanley Chukwudi, 43, was arrested with 5,900 ampoules of pentazocine injection at Sabon Gari area of Kano State on Thursday 25th April, a couple, Fredrick Odion, 53, and Gladys Odion, 52, were nabbed with 50kg cannabis at Iruekpen, Esan west LGA, Edo state by NDLEA officers on Wednesday 24th April’, the statement added.
According to Babafemi, with the same zeal, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), advocacy campaign in the past week.
Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and staff of Federal Government College, Nise, Anambra; Royal Institute of Health Technology, Ifo, Ogun state; Akpugo-Eze High School, Oji-River, Enugu; Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Adamawa; and Jubilee Secondary School, Ore, Ondo state, among others.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services of the Agency for the diligent prosecution of Uwazuoke and Agbo cases.
He said the success rate of cases prosecuted by the agency has shown that there’s no escape route for those involved in the illicit trade of drug trafficking.
He equally applauded those of MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Edo, Adamawa and Bayelsa Commands as well as their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their drug supply and drug demand reduction activities.
