NDLEA arrests three persons with disabilities over alleged drug trafficking
Dare Babalola
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the arrest of three physically challenged persons in separate anti-drug operations carried out across Anambra and Kwara states, as the agency intensified its clampdown on illicit drug trafficking nationwide.
In a statement released on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA disclosed that a 60-year-old suspect, Romanus Nwabara, was apprehended in Onitsha, Anambra State, following intelligence reports.
According to the agency, operatives tracked Nwabara to Akpaka Forest on Wednesday, where he was allegedly found in possession of 250 grams of skunk already packaged in retail sachets.
Babafemi added that another suspect, Amos Kenneth, 25, was arrested during a separate raid in Ogbunike, also in Anambra State. He was reportedly found with 160.3 grams of Tramadol in 225mg and 100mg strengths, 80 Diazepam pills, 38.23 grams of Exol-5, and 176.93 grams of skunk.
In Kwara State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Bode Saadu route intercepted a commercial vehicle on Friday. During a search, one of the passengers identified as Usman Salisu, also a person with disability, was allegedly discovered with 6.3 kilograms of skunk concealed inside a brown school bag.
The agency also reported a major seizure in Lagos, where operatives from its Special Operations Unit raided a mansion in Lekki Phase 1 allegedly being used as a drug storage facility.
Babafemi said officers recovered 4,000 parcels of Loud, described as a potent imported cannabis strain, weighing 2,326 kilograms with an estimated street value of over N5.8 billion.
“Also seized from the house located at 36 African Lane, Lekki Phase 1, were two Mercedes-Benz buses and several designer sachets allegedly meant for repackaging the illicit substance for retail sale,” the statement said.
Elsewhere, a suspect identified as Emmanuel Osita Okeke, 38, was arrested in Nyanya Karu, Nasarawa State, with 129 kilograms of skunk.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State intercepted a white commuter J5 bus heading to Abuja. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 76 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 766 kilograms, while three suspects — Mathew Omohove, Ebuka Desmond, and Babangida Musa — were taken into custody.
In another operation in Lagos, officers raided a makeshift skuchies production site in the Ijora Badia area, where two suspects, Bose Jamiu and Gbenga Gege, were allegedly caught processing cannabis mixed with other illicit substances.
The agency said 270 litres of the already prepared substance, along with 106 grams of Tramadol 225mg, were recovered during the raid.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations across Lagos, Anambra, Kwara, Kogi, and Nasarawa states.
He praised their efforts in reducing drug supply while also sustaining the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign, urging commands nationwide to sustain the momentum.
