…Nabs Qatar businessman, others for drug smuggling, seizes cannabis, tramadol

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, arrested 1,016 suspects and seized nine tons of illicit drugs in Kano State in 2023.

The Commandant of the agency in Kano State, Mr Abubakar Idris-Ahmad, told journalists on Sunday in Kano that the suspects arrested were 40 females and 976 males.

He said the agency secured 102 convictions in the out-going year, and secured forfeiture of five vehicles just as 104 cases were still pending in court.

Idris-Ahmad also said that the drugs seized were 6,098kg of Indian hemp, 1,696kg of codeine and tramadol, and 1,335kg of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.

“We rehabilitated 70 clients, investigated 598 visa clearance applications and conducted 245 substance abuse tests, out of which six persons tested positive for different drug abuses.

“We also sensitised 5,000 individuals and engaged Drug Demand Reduction professionals who counselled 1,459 persons,’’ Idris-Ahmad said.

The command also destroyed more than 15 tons of assorted narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in 2023, he added.

He reiterated the command’s commitment to ensuring the well-being and safety of communities from the devastating consequences of drug abuse.

“We will intensify efforts at dismantling drug networks, rehabilitate those in need, secure convictions and destroy illicit substances leaving no room for drug trade to flourish,” Idris-Ahmad assured.

Meanwhile, NDLEA has intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking, making multiple arrests at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos and across the country in the days leading up to the new year.

According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, on Sunday, December 31, 2023, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Qatar-based businessman, Agu Evidence Amobi, and another individual, Uchegbu Onyebuchi Obi, carrying psychoactive substances at the MMIA in Ikeja, Lagos.

Amobi was apprehended on Saturday, December 30th, at terminal 2’s departure point at MMIA while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha, Qatar, while Obi was taken into custody the same day after authorities seized a shipment of 72,000 pills of tramadol 225mg he intended to send to Kano via a local flight.

Amobi, claiming over 10 years of residence and work in Doha, was found with 1.30kg of concealed cannabis sativa within a bag of food. He said that he purchased the substance in Enugu to deliver in Doha to cover expenses such as rent and school fees for his three children, both in Doha and Nigeria.

In addition, NDLEA operatives at the airport’s domestic wing discovered a carton containing 72,000 pills of tramadol 250mg, weighing 38.50kg. Subsequently, Obi was arrested for attempting to ship this consignment to Kano.

Moreover, on Christmas day, NDLEA officers on patrol along Nguru-Gashua road in Yobe State intercepted Musa Sani, Mohammed Ibrahim, and Adamu Usman in a truck transporting 39 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 15.7kg and 128,500 pills of opioids. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of the actual owner, Ali Ibrahim (a.k.a Ramos), recovering an additional 208 blocks weighing 94.74kg, while Mustapha Goni (a.k.a Lolo), the possessor of the seized opioids, was also arrested.

Also there was another operation in Imo State on Christmas Eve, NDLEA operatives intercepted a commercial bus driven by Peter Orji, 42, carrying 400 bottles of codeine syrup and 7,590 pills of opioids, including tramadol 225mg, en route to Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

The NDLEA also apprehended David Michael, 52, in Kano with 49 blocks of cannabis weighing 42.6kg, Umar Abdullahi, 27, with 27,350 pills of opioids in the Gadar Tamburawa area of the city, and Yusuf Yahaya, 45, along the Lagos-Ilorin expressway with 31.00kg of compressed cannabis. Yahaya, it was discovered, used to supply illicit drugs to bandits in Kebbi and Zamfara states.

In another operation in Imo State on Christmas Eve, NDLEA operatives intercepted a commercial bus driven by Peter Orji, 42, carrying 400 bottles of codeine syrup and 7,590 pills of opioids, including tramadol 225mg, en route to Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

The NDLEA also apprehended David Michael, 52, in Kano with 49 blocks of cannabis weighing 42.6kg, Umar Abdullahi, 27, with 27,350 pills of opioids in the Gadar Tamburawa area of the city, and Yusuf Yahaya, 45, along the Lagos-Ilorin expressway with 31.00kg of compressed cannabis. Yahaya, it was discovered, used to supply illicit drugs to bandits in Kebbi and Zamfara states.

The NDLEA conducted War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaigns in schools, markets, worship centres, and communities nationwide.

The agency commended the efforts of various commands for their successful operations and campaigns throughout the past week. Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, urged officers to maintain the momentum in the fight against drug traffickers and intensify WADA advocacy campaigns in the New Year. He extended New Year wishes to the agency’s personnel, families, stakeholders, and the public.