Monday, April 22, 2024 -The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have arrested three members of an organized criminal organization which specializes in illicit drug trafficking across Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique, Europe and America following the recent seizure of the single largest consignment of heroin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos.
In a statement released by its spokesperson,
Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, April 21, the anti-drug agency said the suspects were
arrested after over two months they were declared wanted.
The Agency noted that a total of 51.90
kilograms of heroin had been recovered from members of the drug cartel in an
operation that began 10th February 2024 at the SAHCO Import Shed of the
airport’s Cargo Terminal.
The NDLEA said that the consignment was
concealed in 15 cartons of 2300-watt metal cutting machines, with no less than
45 blocks of the illicit substance weighing 49.70kg recovered from the
equipment, while additional 2.2kg was seized at the syndicate’s warehouse in
Ayobo area of Lagos.
The Agency added that while it has secured
interim forfeiture court order on hotel, mansions, vehicles and funds traced to
members of the syndicate after arresting four of them, a manhunt was also
launched for others who went underground.
“The effort however paid off on Friday 19th
April when two of the wanted kingpins: Onyinyechi Irene Igbokwuputa and
Frankline Uzochukwu were arrested in Lagos and Awka, Anambra state
respectively. Another wanted member of the syndicate, Osita Emmanuel Obinna was
equally nabbed in Lagos,” the Agency said.
In the same vein, the NDLEA said the attempt
by a suspect, Iheakara Ifeanyichukwu Festus to export a drug consignment
through the terminal 2 of the Lagos airport to Muscat, Oman via Ethiopian
airline flight on Thursday 18th April was thwarted by its officers.
It narrated that when his luggage was
searched, 20 big parcels of cannabis weighing 9.80kg were discovered concealed
in his bag.
In his statement, the suspect who lives in Muscat, Oman and returned to Nigeria in 1st April, was said to have confessed he was hired to courier the drug with an agreement to get paid N1,200,000 upon successful delivery in Oman.
The NDLEA statement further narrated that
“In Adamawa state, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 20th April intercepted a
Peugeot car driven by Dahiru Mohammed at Girei on his way to Mubi with
1,250,000 pills of opioids weighing 450kg. The operatives had earlier
intercepted along Ngurore-Yola Road a J5 bus marked AAA790XV loaded with motor
spare parts from Onitsha, Anambra State, with consignments of Codeine Syrup and
Tramadol concealed in-between the motor parts. A follow up operation led to the
arrest of the recipient, Jairus Nwanchor at Jambutu motor park.
“Three suspects: Beriakuma Vivian Chinrdu,
40; Okpor Isaac, 68, and Daniel Onyeachom, 42, were on Saturday 20th April
arrested at Amarata,Yenagoa, Bayelsa state in connection with the seizure of 69
compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 36kg and concealed in a false
compartment of a Toyota Picnic car marked MUS 711 DH they were travelling in.
This is even as NDLEA operatives in Imo state on Thursday 18th April arrested
Kingsley Omeje, 41, at Amajeke, Owerri while he was taking delivery of 49
bottles of codeine syrup he ordered.
“In Ondo state, NDLEA operatives raided the
Oloro camp, Ogbese, Akure North LGA where they arrested Linus Odogwu, 50, and
destroyed a total of 25,000 kilograms of cannabis on 10 hectares of farmland
while they recovered 89.5kg of same substance. Three other suspects: David
Obungete Ekepenyoung, 22; Oluwaseun Folorunso,23; and Rabiu Musa, 32, were
nabbed in other parts of the state in connection to different seizures totaling
77kg.
“In the same vein, Commands across the
country intensified their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy lectures.
These include WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of St. Dominick
High School, Makurdi, Benue state; students and staff of Federal Polytechnic,
Kazaure, Jigawa state; traders at timber market, Umuokpo, Awka, Anambra and
WADA advocacy visit to Methodist Church (Bishop Court) Abeokuta, Ogun state,
among others.
“While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Ondo and Imo Commands of the Agency for their balanced efforts in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) equally applauded their counterparts across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures thus creating parity between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.
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