In a series of successful operations, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made significant arrests and confiscated substantial quantities of illicit substances in the past week. Among the headline arrests is Obiorah Chigozie Samuel, a wanted drug kingpin involved in attempts to smuggle illegal drug shipments to the United Kingdom. This operation resulted in the seizure of 1,500 kilograms of skunk concealed within flour at the SAHCO export shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos, on September 15, 2023. Nworah Adaugo Precious, the freight agent, was also apprehended.
Undeterred by the earlier interception, Obiorah was captured on September 28, 2023, when he personally brought another 2,000 kilograms of concealed skunk in cartons to the airport for shipment to the UK. During questioning, Obiorah disclosed that he had previously been involved in shoe sales in Lagos before entering the illicit drug trade.
In other operations, the Federal Capital Territory Command of the NDLEA intercepted a container truck on September 29, 2023, loaded with 1,188 kilograms of skunk hidden under cartons of toothpaste. This haul had originated from Owo, Ondo state, and was en route from Lagos to Kano. The truck’s driver, Amafan Fattison, aged 28, was taken into custody.
In Bayelsa state, on September 27, 2023, NDLEA officers seized 432 kilograms of the same substance from an abandoned J5 bus along Saipem road, Opolo, Yenagoa, and the vehicle was impounded for further investigation.
In Kano, a septuagenarian, Ado Mai Unguwa, aged 70, was arrested on September 30, 2023, with 143.2 kilograms of skunk in Dindere village, Tofa LGA. Meanwhile, operatives in Enugu on the same day recovered 110.6 kilograms of the same substance from a locked-up shop at Aria new market.
In Mushin, Lagos, on September 30, 2023, NDLEA operatives targeted the notorious Idi-Oro drug enclave, seizing 212.5 kilograms of cannabis sativa belonging to a wanted drug lord. Additionally, NDLEA officers in Kwara state recovered 104 kilograms of skunk from a Toyota Camry car in the Offa area.
Further afield, a Chadian national, Mohammed Ibrahim, aged 25, was apprehended at Mafa checkpoint, Borno state, on September 25, 2023, with 11.8 kilograms of the same substance.
In Plateau state, four suspects, Yusuf Akim, Frank Gah, Jackson Ejeh, and Joseph Utsu, along with 1,978 kilograms of cannabis recovered from them, were transferred from the state police command to the NDLEA.
Cross River state witnessed the seizure of 40,000 ampules of pentazocine injection from two suspects, Fajulugbe Adeshola Temitayo, aged 35, and Nnaorji Agwe Solomon, aged 54, at Mobil by MCC road, Calabar, on September 25, 2023.
In Kogi state, NDLEA officers arrested a suspect, Ifeanyi Odoh, aged 25, on September 27, 2023, with 59,867 pills of opioids, including Tramadol, and 4.03 kilograms of cannabis sativa in the Idah area.
Additionally, the NDLEA continued its “War Against Drug Abuse” (WADA) advocacy activities throughout the country in the past week, conducting various sensitization lectures and visits to promote awareness and combat drug abuse.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the officers and personnel of the MMIA, Lagos, FCT, Bayelsa, Borno, Kogi, Kwara, Cross River, Borno, and Enugu Commands for their dedication in making these arrests and seizures possible. He also praised their counterparts in all NDLEA commands across the nation for effectively balancing efforts between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction
