Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a commercial bus conveying N3.2 million counterfeit cash owned by three suspects: eight-month pregnant Favour Peter, 24; Esther Adukwu, 27; and Ochigbo Michael, 39, who were arrested at Jabi park in Abuja in a follow up operation on April 9, 2024 following the seizure of the fake naira notes in Lokoja, Kogi State.
The Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, revealed this in a statement he issued on Sunday.
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Babafemi equally revealed that NDLEA officers in collaboration with men of the Nigerian Navy Ship Lugard base, Lokoja intercepted 37-year-old Aliyu Lawal along Lokoja-Abuja Road on April 8 and recovered 620 blocks of cannabis weighing 310kg from him, while 10 sacks of the same psychoactive substance weighing 98kg were seized along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Expressway by NDLEA operatives from Jama Obodo, 44, in a commercial bus coming from Ilesa, Osun State enroute Taraba State on April 10.
In Cross River State, a 40-year-old widow and mother of two, Theodora Ita, was on April 8 arrested at Bassey Edom, Calabar by NDLEA operatives for producing and selling a lethal new psychoactive substance, NPS, locally called Combine, which is a mixture of different strains of cannabis and opioids soaked in raw gin.
As at the time of her arrest, 18 litres of the dangerous substance in used paint drums were recovered from her.
In her statement, Ita claimed she started the illicit drug production and distribution in October 2023.
Another suspect, Godwin Okon Samuel, 48, was apprehended at Essit Ebum area of Calabar with 39.4kg of cannabis sativa on April 9.
While two suspects: Sani Mohammed, 43, and Christopher Eze, 64, were arrested in Sabon Gari area of Kano on April 9 with 900,000 pills of opioid recovered from them, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Owerri-Onitsha Road, Imo State on April 12 intercepted a logistics truck with registration number JGB 403XB and recovered 230 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 119kg hidden under household items after a thorough search.
At least 252 kilograms of cannabis were seized during a raid at Ijesa Isu forest, Ekiti State on April 13, while four suspects: Adamu Umar, 39; Abdullahi A. Gimba, 27; Julius Uduakhomu, 28; and Michael Sunday, 24, were nabbed loading 40kg of same substance to the engine compartment of a gas truck at Agho village, Owan East, Edo State.
Two motorcycles used in conveying the consignment to where the gas truck heading to the North was parked, were also recovered.
In Ogun State, a suspect, Ismaila Ogun, was arrested on April 12 with 79kg cannabis at Imeko, while 18-year-old Friday Abah was nabbed with 410kg of the same substance when NDLEA operatives raided Obatedo camp, Itaogbolu forest, Akure North LGA, Ondo State.
With the same zeal, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse advocacy campaign in the past week.
Some of them included WADA sensitisation lecture for students and staff of Gboko Polytechnic, Gboko, Benue State; officers and men of 15 Engineering Field Regiment Nigerian Army, Topo, Badagry Lagos State; meat butchers at Odo Eran abattoir, Osogbo, Osun State; and advocacy visit to the Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo.
While commending the officers and men of the Kogi, Cross River, Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Imo, Kano and Edo Commands of the Agency for their outstanding feats in drug supply reduction, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), equally applauded them and their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures aimed at drug demand reduction.
