Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a consignment of 32 pieces of Improvised Explosive Devices allegedly being taken to bandits’ camp in Niger State, bordering the Federal Capital Territory, ahead of the May 29 presidential inauguration, and that of new administration across the country.
The Chairman of the anti-narcotics agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), has since ordered the immediate transfer of a suspect, Musa Muhammadu, who was caught with the explosives on Monday, May 22, along Wawa Road, Kainji, Niger State, to the military.
The spokesperson for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Sunday.
“As the NDLEA intensifies operations at drug joints and routes nationwide ahead of the May 29 inauguration of new administrations across the country, its operatives have intercepted a consignment of 32 pieces of IEDs, being taken to bandits’ camp in Niger State,” the statement read in part.
Meanwhile, a shipment containing 379grams of methamphetamine concealed in the false bottom of six black soap containers, packed in a carton containing local hand fans, heading to Cyprus in Europe, has been recovered at a courier company in Lagos by officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation of the NDLEA.
Babafemi said, “In Adamawa State, operatives on stop-and-search patrol along Michika- Bazza Road on Friday, May 26, arrested a Cameroonian, Ndawai Ngalou, with a pair of Nigerian Army camouflage uniform bearing ‘Sunday U’ and two ATM cards belonging to one Turaki Mohammed and Ekene Izuegunam.
“Two ladies, Bilkisu Yusuf, 33, and Kauna Katsina, 25, were on Monday, May 22, arrested in Ningi town, Bauchi State with 11,080 pills of tramadol, while Uche Shadrach, 22, was arrested with 20,480 pills of the same pharmaceutical opioid on Wednesday, May 24, along Okene-Lokoja Highway, Kogi State on his way from Onitsha, Anambra State to Minna, Niger State.”
The NDLEA spokesman added that two suspects, Surajo Adamu and Muhammad Ali, were arrested on Friday, May 26, with 379,200 tablets of Diazepam in the Alimosho area of Lagos State, while the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command of the agency took custody of 22 cartons of Tramadol 225mg weighing 1,144.30 kg and 12 cartons of Tramadol 120mg with a total weight of 320kg, all containing 2, 317, 400 pills transferred to the agency by the Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, on Thursday, May 25.
In Delta State, NDLEA operatives supported by men drawn from the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Police on Wednesday, May 24, raided the notorious Abbi town, Ndokwa West Local Government Area where three suspects: Eunice Eneh, 52, Animan Ifeoma, 26, and Chuks Webema Dennis, 35, were arrested with a total of 343.9kg cannabis recovered from them.
“A similar mop-up operation in Bayelsa has led to the arrest of a wanted suspect, Ozoemena Egbochue, 38, at the Swali market in Yenagoa on Monday, May 22, following the earlier arrest of his sales boy, Morgan Eredeowei with 11,748 pills of tramadol and diazepam,” Babafemi added.
