NDLEA recovers 2.6million opioids in three states, arrests Chadian, others

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted no fewer than 2,684,900 pills of tramadol and seized other pharmaceutical opioids during interdiction operations in three states in the past week.

Mr Femi Babafemi, the spokesman for NDLEA, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Babafemi said a total of 250,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5, as well as 1800ml of codeine neatly concealed in the reserve fuel tank of a trailer from Onitsha, Anambra, were seized in Mubi, Adamawa.

He said a dealer, Hussaini Ibrahim (a.k.a Bafu), was arrested in connection with the seized drugs.

According to him, a total of 279,000 pills of tramadol 200mg and 225mg were recovered from a suspect, Hammajan Suleman, along the Okene-Abuja highway in Kogi State, on Mon. Feb. 13.

He added that 376 blocks of skunk weighing 229.36kgs and a Toyota Camry car used in carrying the consignment from Edo State en route to Kano State by another suspect, Moses Alabi, were handed over to NDLEA.

This, he said, was done by a patrol team of the Nigerian Army in Lokoja, Kogi, on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

In the same vein, two suspects: Chinonso Obiora and Christian Nnachor, were arrested with 300,000 pills of Exol-5 and 1,843,900 tablets of Diazepam by soldiers along Abuja-Kaduna express road.

Babafemi said they were transferred to the Kaduna State Command of NDLEA on Monday, Feb. 13, while Christopher Maduka, was arrested with 10,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection on Saturday, Feb. 18, along the Abuja-Kaduna highway.

“In Kano, Ahmed Suraj Rabiu was arrested with 89 bottles of codeine syrup in the Badawa area of the state, while Amadu Musa and three other persons were nabbed in Kofar Mata with 53 blocks of cannabis weighing 41.9kgs.

“In Niger, a trans-border trafficker, Abdullahi Isah, was arrested along Jebba-Mokwa highway with 188 blocks of skunk that weighed 107 kilograms, which he was attempting to take to the Niger Republic.

“24kgs of Arizona variant of cannabis and 2,000 pills of opioids were recovered from Ibrahim Isiyaku along Nguru- Kano road in Yobe,” he said.

Babafemi also said that no fewer than four suspects: Usman Abubakar, a Chadian; Muhammad Ali; Ibrahim Yahaya and Babagana Abdullahi were arrested for drug trafficking.

He said the suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 61.45kgs of cannabis and 22.1kgs of exol-5 in Jigawa State with follow-up operations in Kano