NDLEA operatives confiscate opioids, codeine syrups worth ‘N3.4bn’ in Lagos, Rivers States
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said its operatives seized drugs with a street value of N3.428 billion in Lagos and Rivers states.
In a statement, NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi said the drugs comprise 3.5 million pills of opioids and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrups.
He stated that the codeine syrups were seized by NDLEA and customs officers on April 29 during a joint examination of a watch-listed container at the Port Harcourt ports complex, Onne, Rivers state.
The spokesman of NDLEA stated that in Lagos, 1,500,000 pills of a controlled opioid were recovered from a suspect identified as Olarenwaju Wahab at the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo on April 29, while the source of the consignment was traced to Q104B road 25, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, the residence of one Obinna Kenneth who is now at large.
He said at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos, operatives intercepted 42 parcels of Canadian Loud, a heavy strain of cannabis weighing 20kg, concealed in tins of chocolate, milo beverage, white kidney beans and dark red kidney beans.
He said the items were packaged as part of cargo into the Lagos airport onboard a British Airways flight from Canada.
“In like manner, a businessman, Morris Osas, was on Friday, 2nd May, arrested at the Lagos airport while attempting to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Italy. A thorough search of his luggage led to the seizure of 8,130 pills of tramadol 225mg, 200mg and 100mg,” the statement reads.
Babafemi said another syndicate’s attempt to ship 104 grammes of tramadol and skunk concealed in bottles of body cream to Iraq through a courier company in Lagos was also thwarted on Monday, April 28, by NDLEA officers.
He said NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa,
has directed that the suspect and exhibits be transferred to the appropriate security agency for further action.
Babafemi noted that five members of a syndicate led by Aminu Musa, also referred to as Kadagi, were arrested on April 30 at Dangoro market, Kano state, with 50 blocks of skunk weighing 21.6kg.
“A Mazda commercial bus marked XA343TSE was equally intercepted at Agu-Awka junction, Awka, Anambra state by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 30th April while a total of 50,400 capsules of tramadol, 500 tablets of co-codamol and 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection were recovered and a suspect Chinedu Eneh arrested,” Babafemi said.
“After 10 months of painstaking investigation, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 26th April, arrested a wanted drug kingpin, the 52-year-old Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd, Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku, over his involvement in the importation of a consignment of 2,616,060 pills of tramadol 225mg intercepted by NDLEA at Apapa seaport in Lagos on 28th July 2024. A follow-up operation at his house in Lekki led to the seizure of 51 wraps of Canadian Loud weighing 34 grams,” Babafemi said.
The NDLEA spokesman said the war against drug abuse and social advocacy activities of the NDLEA commands continued across the country in the past week.
