The Special Operations Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has uncovered drug syndicates in different parts in the country.
In a press statement signed by Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi on Sunday, the agency took down a drug cartel controlled by a 49-year-old man and 50 year old woman named Kelechi Nwasobi in Aba, Abia State.
The siblings were arrested on Thursday and Friday after a months of intelligence gathering for possession of cocaine and methamphetamine consignment worth over N4.1 billion.
The statement partly reads, “A cartel controlled by a drug baron, 49-year-old Kelechi Monday Nwaobasi and his 50-year-old elder sister, Ms. Chinwe Rose Nwaobasi, has been taken down by officers of the Special Operation Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, following the arrest of the siblings and seizure of cocaine and methamphetamine consignments worth over N4.1billion in street value from their hideout in Aba, Abia state.”
Likewise, the unit uncovered an expansive warehouse in Lagos stocked with a large consignment of codeine-based syrup, located at Comfort Oboh area of Kirikiri, where four persons connected with the importation and distribution of the opioid were arrested during an intelligence-led raid on the facility.
“Some of the arrested suspect are: Kingsley Amanambu Obumneke, 38; Emeka Emmanuel, 48; Bornaventure Ugochukwu, 59; and Martin Dike, 56, while a total of 82,000 bottles of the opioid worth more than N600million in street value, Toyota Tacuma truck and two buses used for distributing the substance were recovered from the premises on Monday 10th June 2024 when NDLEA officers conducted the operation.
“Two days after, Wednesday 12th June, operatives intercepted another suspect, Ibrahim Abdulhamid with 29,100 pills of tramadol and other opioids as well as 3.9 litres of codeine syrup at Alaba Suru, Ojo local council area of the state.”
In another operation, a total of 230,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and 200mg were recovered from the two suspect namely of Yasir Rabi’u, and Abubakar Ado, who were major distributors of illicit drugs in Kano and Jigawa states.
In the similar vein, another suspect, Hassan Abdullahi Ali, 25, was nabbed with 150 bottles of codeine syrup at Kofar Nassarawa area of Kano on Tuesday 11th June.
Also in Ogun state, the operatives on Monday 10th June seized 390kg of cannabis and arrested the trio of Muhammad Sani, Nura Mohammad and Samaila Rabe during an early morning raid at Ibese area of the state.
In a similar development, 18,425kg of the same psychoactive substance on 7.37 hectares of farmland was destroyed by NDLEA operatives supported by personnel of other security agencies in the thick forest of Ise Ekiti, Ekiti state on Friday 14th June.
In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, two suspects: Muhammad Abba, 33, and Samson Ehizogie, 42, were arrested with 3,550 bottles of “Akuskura”, a new mixture of psychotropic substances, by operatives during a raid on Friday 14th June at Garki Area 10 and Dutse Suokale, both within the FCT.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of the Special Operation Unit, Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Ekiti, Oyo, Kwara, Anambra, Benue and FCT Commands of for the arrests and seizures, noting that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country are well appreciated.
He further urged them not to rest on their oars but continue to intensify ongoing drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
