Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 93-year-old man and a 69-year-old medical doctor as part of intensified nationwide operations targeting drug cartels and their collaborators.
The arrests were among several intelligence-led interdiction operations carried out across multiple states as the agency stepped up its crackdown on illicit drug trafficking.
In one of the operations, NDLEA operatives arrested a nonagenarian, Pa Friday Ahukanna Chigbu, at his residence in Umuagbaigba, Amavo Nkwogu village in Osisioma Local Government Area of Abia State.
The arrest, which took place on April 7, followed a search of his house where 7.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, were recovered.
According to the agency, the suspect claimed he had worked as a truck pusher before learning painting and tiling. He later ventured into the illicit drug trade about a year ago.
Chigbu also admitted he had been smoking cannabis since 1959, before turning it into a business.
NDLEA Arrests Ivorian Drug Courier, Doctor
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a 41-year-old Ivorian national, Gohouri Michael, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano.
Michael was apprehended during the outward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan via Addis Ababa with 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49kg concealed in his body.
Investigations revealed he had arrived in Lagos from Milan in January and had been travelling between Lagos and Enugu before moving to Kano, where he ingested the drugs in a hotel room. He was reportedly promised €5,000 for delivering the consignment in Italy.
Further investigation led to the arrest of a suspected accomplice, Dr Chudi Daniel Ofomata, a 69-year-old medical doctor, in Magboro, Ogun State.
Recovered from him were 63 grams of promazepam and seven ampoules of promethazine injection.
Multiple Arrests Across States
NDLEA operations also led to several other arrests and drug seizures across the country.
In Ogun State, three suspects, Azeez Sanni, Olayinka Oke and Adekunle Adeyemi, were arrested with 34 kilograms of skunk at Sango Under Bridge in Sango Ota.
In Imo State, operatives recovered 56.2 kilograms of cannabis from a 26-year-old female suspect, Ayoka Akinwale, along the Onitsha–Owerri road.
Similarly, in Niger State, a couple, Abdullahi Umar and his wife Adama Umar, were arrested after NDLEA officers recovered 118 kilograms of cannabis from their kitchen during a search of their home in Takuti village, Lapai Local Government Area.
NDLEA officers also intercepted a trailer loaded with vehicle spare parts along the Damaturu–Maiduguri road in Borno State.
Recovered from the vehicle were 42,290 tablets of Rohypnol, 82,700 millilitres of codeine syrup and 10,000 millilitres of pentazocine injection. The owner of the consignment, Eleje Ibeabuchi, was later arrested.
In Lagos, officers intercepted a luxury bus heading to Port Harcourt along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway and recovered 15 kilograms of “Scottish Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis. Two suspects, Kingsley Nsofor and Opara Ifeanyi, were arrested.
Another operation in Mushin led to the seizure of 26,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup concealed in a truck transporting goods to Onitsha, with two suspects apprehended.
7.2 Tonnes Of Cannabis Seized In Edo
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted two trucks carrying large consignments of cannabis along Warrake Road in Auchi.
The vehicles were found to contain a total of 7,245 kilograms of processed cannabis hidden among cartons of beer.
Five suspects arrested in connection with the seizure include Ibrahim Abu, Abu Abdullazeez, Jibril Jaminu, Andrew Moses and Ganiyu Abu.
The drugs were reportedly loaded in Sabongida-Ora in Owan West Local Government Area and were heading to Abuja when they were intercepted.
The agency also said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign continued across the country with sensitisation programmes in schools, communities and transport parks.
The NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the recent operations and urged continued efforts to balance drug supply reduction with drug demand reduction through public awareness.
