Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized a consignment of UK, Ireland and Cyprus-bound cocaine and pharmaceutical opioids at three courier firms in Lagos.
The consignment of drugs were cleverly hidden in female sanitary pads and hair treatment cream containers.
This was contained in a statement released on Sunday September 8, 2014, by the NDLEA Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, not less than 30 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.1 kilograms concealed in hair cream containers were recovered by NDLEA officials during the examination of cargoes going to Ireland on September 3, 2024 at the port.
The statement reads in part : "Another consignment of 24 parcels of cocaine weighing 862 grams also hidden in hair cream containers meant for delivery in the UK was equally intercepted at the same company on September 6",
“In the same vein, a total of 525 pills of tramadol 225mg and ecstasy (MDMA) concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads going to Cyprus were seized at another courier firm in Lagos by NDLEA operatives on September 3 while a shipment of 200 ampoules of promethazine injection and pentazocine injection hidden in food items and herbs heading to London, UK, was also seized by operatives on Wednesday September 4,”
Babafemi stated further that, Operatives of the agency also intercepted another consignment of tramadol 225mg buried in granulated melon that came from Cameroon and heading to South Africa on September 6, 2024.
He also added that no fewer than 550,000 pills of tramadol were retrieved on September 2nd, during a joint examination of a cargo that came from Delhi, India, with men of the Nigerian Customs Service.
The NDLEA Boss revealed that all suspects involved in the illegal smuggling of the hard drugs have already been arrested and their goods seized.
Also, in Ekiti State, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives joined by men of the Nigerian Army on September 3, stormed three camps inside the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve, in the Ise/Orun local Government Area where over 100,000 kilogrammes of cannabis spread across 51 hectares of farmland were destroyed.
In his words: , “The affected settlements include: Aba Saalaja with 23 hectares; Aba Paanu with 12 hectares, and Aba Arogunmatidi with 16 hectares, all within the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve",
“Two suspects: Bala Musa, 42, and Danladi Muhammad, 44, were arrested on Friday, September 6, along Toro-Jos road, Kaduna with 305kg cannabis concealed in a false compartment of a J5 boxer bus marked YLA 682 XM, while another suspect, Aminu Ayuba, 24, was arrested in possession of 18 kilogrammes of same substance at Makarfi town.
“Two others: Umar Usman, 40, and Zubairu Kabiru, 45, were arrested along Zaria- Kaduna highway in possession of 1,300 tablets of tramadol, all on the same day.”
The agency also made arrests of other culprits in Jigawa and Kogi State.
“In Jigawa State, Uzairu Ya’u, 30, was nabbed with 32.6kg of cannabis on Thursday, September 5, at Koran Shehu, while operatives in Kogi on Wednesday, September 4, intercepted 77,300 pills of tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5 as well as 1,230 bottles of codeine in a commercial bus driven by Attai Okolo, 68, along Aloma – Ejule road, Ofu LGA of Kogi State.
Another suspect, Mohammed Idris, 56, was nabbed along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway on Tuesday, September 3, with 42.400kg of cannabis coming from Lagos en route to Kano", he said.
He also mentioned that several arrests of similar crimes also took place in Borno, Taraba, Kano and Osun states.
“While NDLEA operatives in Borno State arrested Idris Muhammad, 40, at Ramat area of Maiduguri on Thursday, September 5, with 13,100 pills of tramadol, their counterparts in Kano on Wednesday, September 4, nabbed Hakilu Usman, 35, with 25.8kg cannabis and 3,000 pills of diazepam along Kano – Daura road.
“And in Taraba, no fewer than 87,790 pills of tramadol were recovered from Musa Adamu, 30, when he was arrested in Zing, while in Osun State, a raid on the home of a drug kingpin, Mayowa Abayomi Awe (a.k.a Bishop) in Ilesa on Wednesday, September 4, led to the seizure of 43 grams of crack cocaine, 23 grams of methamphetamine, 17.126kg cannabis and a locally made pistol,” the statement said.
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