NDLEA arrests notorious kingpin, Chadian, others over 4 tons of drugs
By Fatai Kasali
In a major breakthrough, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a notorious criminal mastermind who was wanted for his involvement in multiple attempts to smuggle illegal drugs into the United Kingdom.
A statement by the NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja said that the suspect, Obiorah Chigozie had been on the wanted list of the agency since Sept. 15.
This, he said, was when a consignment of 1.500kg skunk concealed in flour going to London, UK was intercepted at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) export shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.
Babafemi said that his freight agent, Nworah Adaugo Precious was arrested.
“Convinced that the 1.500kg consignment had sailed through, Chigozie walked into the agency’s dragnet on Sept. 28 when he personally brought another tranche of 2.00kg concealed in cartons to the airport for shipment to the UK.
“In his interview, Chigozie claimed he was into shoes sales in Lagos before venturing into the illicit drug business, “ he said.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT command of the agency on Sept. 29, intercepted a container truck with registration number BD G41 XM coming from Lagos to Kano at the Gwagwalada area of the FCT.
Also, Babafemi said that no less than 1,188 kilograms of skunk loaded at Owo, Ondo state, and hidden under cartons of tooth paste were recovered from the truck and its driver, Amafan Fattison, 28, arrested.
Similarly, NDLEA officers in Bayelsa on Sept. 27, seized 432kgs of the same substance from an abandoned J5 bus along Saipem road, Opolo, Yenagoa.
Babafemi said the vehicle was equally recovered from the scene for further investigation.
In Kano, a septuagenarian grandpa, Ado Unguwa, 70, was arrested on Saturday Sept. 30 with 143.2kgs skunk in Dindere village, Tofa LGA.
Babafemi said that operatives in Enugu same day recovered 110.6kgs of same substance from a locked-up shop at Aria new market.
He added that operatives in Lagos also on Saturday Sept. 30, stormed the notorious Idi-Oro drug enclave in Mushin where they seized 212.5kgs of cannabis sativa belonging to a wanted drug lord.
This was even as NDLEA officers in Kwara recovered 104kgs of skunk from a Toyota camry car in Offa area of the state.
Babafemi siad that a Chadian, Mohammed Ibrahim, 25, was also nabbed at Mafa check point, Borno with 11.8kgs of same substance on Monday Sept. 25.
“In Plateau, the police command in the spirit of inter-agency collaboration transferred four suspects: Yusuf Akim; Frank Gah; Jackson Ejeh and Joseph Utsu
“1,978kgs cannabis was recovered from them to the state command of NDLEA, while in Cross River, operatives on Monday Sept. 25 seized 40,000 ampules of pentazocine injection.
“Two suspects, Fajulugbe Adeshola, 35, and Nnaorji Agwe, 54, at Mobil by MCC road, Calabar were arrested.
“Also in Kogi, NDLEA officers on Wednesday Sept. 27 arrested a suspect, Ifeanyi Odoh, 25, with 59,867 pills of opioids including Tramadol and 4.03kgs cannabis sativa at Idah area of the state, “ he said.
Babafemi quoted the NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa as commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Lagos, FCT, Bayelsa, Borno, Kogi, Kwara, Cross River, Borno and Enugu commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week.
Marwa equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
