The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two persons living with disabilities (PWDs) in Abia and Rivers states for alleged involvement in illicit drug trafficking. A 60-year-old woman, Chidimma Sunday, and a 28-year-old man, Abubakar Usman, were taken into custody.
Arrests in Abia and Rivers
Chidimma was arrested with 1.8kg of skunk by the Umuosu Vigilante Group in Umuna Autonomous Community, Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State, and handed over to NDLEA on June 10. Abubakar was arrested at Rumuokoro, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with 400 grammes of skunk, five grammes of methamphetamine, 100 grammes of tramadol, five grammes of swinol, and 18 grammes of diazepam during a raid by NDLEA operatives on June 9.
Liquid Cocaine Intercepted at Lagos Airport
In a related development, NDLEA operatives arrested a 41-year-old businessman based in São Paulo, Brazil, Abugu Ikechukwu, for allegedly importing shirts and towels impregnated with 6.10 kilogrammes of liquid cocaine into Nigeria. The suspect was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, upon arrival from Brazil via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on June 11. A thorough search of his luggage led to the recovery of 14 towels and shirts soaked in liquid cocaine, which had been dried and carefully ironed. In his statement, the suspect claimed he had lived in Brazil for more than 14 years, where he runs an African restaurant. He added that he travelled to Nigeria to visit his wife and purchase food items in bulk for his business.
Other Seizures Across Nigeria
In Delta State, NDLEA operatives on June 8 arrested a suspect, Onya Jude, 36, at Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South Local Council, while in possession of five gas cylinders used to conceal 2.8 kilogrammes of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis. This was followed by the arrest of two suspected drug dealers, Jamilu Idris, 40, popularly known as Jama, and Aminu Abdullahi, 33, also known as Momo, at the Kasuwan Katako area of Gombe State. They were apprehended with three large blocks of skunk weighing 2.738kg. Similarly, Ngozi Gaius, 39, was arrested along the Zaria-Kano Road in Kano State on June 12 while conveying 6,000 pills of tramadol (225mg).
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu Road intercepted two suspects, Nasiru Hamza, 47, and Muhammad Sani, 38, transporting 600 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 304kg in a black Toyota Jeep with registration number PJHR 783. In Taraba State, NDLEA officers acting on intelligence on June 13 raided the warehouse of a suspected drug dealer, Ali Adamu, 45, at Maihula Village in Bali Local Government Area, where they recovered 63 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,121.5kg. On the same day, operatives on patrol along the Gwagwalada Expressway in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, arrested Emmanuel Nnadi, 46, and recovered assorted illicit substances, including 30,400 pills of tramadol (225mg and 100mg), 750 pills of pregabalin (300mg), 200 pills of Molly, and 592 bottles of codeine-based syrup. A large consignment of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 1,102kg, was also recovered around Alaba International Market in the Ojo area of Lagos on June 13.
WADA Sensitisation Campaigns
Meanwhile, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities during the past week. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd), commended officers and personnel of the MMIA, Abia, Rivers, Kano, Kwara, Delta, Gombe, Lagos and FCT commands for the arrests and seizures. He praised their efforts in reducing drug supply while sustaining WADA sensitisation activities and urged them, along with their counterparts across the country, to continue surpassing previous achievements.
