The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a string of high-profile arrests across the country, including the apprehension of a 72-year-old grandmother, suspected drug traffickers at major airports, and a cross-border smuggler, as part of its ongoing clampdown on drug-related crimes.
In a statement released on Sunday in Abuja, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, revealed that Mrs. Christy Ejaro, a 72-year-old grandmother, was arrested on June 25 in the Niger CAT area of Warri, Delta State.
She was found in possession of multiple sachets of skunk (a potent strain of cannabis) packaged in retail sizes for distribution.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu made two major seizures on Friday involving international drug trafficking suspects.
Chibuzor Emmanuel, a 38-year-old bar attendant based in Maputo, Mozambique, was intercepted with 17 cardboard-sized parcels of methamphetamine weighing 17.5 kilograms and three parcels of cocaine weighing 3.05 kilograms.
The drugs were hidden in bedsheets in his luggage. Emmanuel had travelled from Johannesburg, South Africa, via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
Another passenger on the same flight, 54-year-old Azu Kpodar, a toy vendor in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was also arrested. A search of his luggage revealed a plastic container of liquid soap, which upon forensic analysis tested positive for cocaine. The liquid cocaine weighed 1.25 kilograms. Kpodar claimed he purchased the substance while shopping for his upcoming wedding in Nigeria.
In a separate operation on June 24 at the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos State, a 26-year-old Beninese national, Vode Jean-Luck, was caught trying to smuggle 69 balls of skunk with a total weight of 29.5 kilograms from the Benin Republic into Nigeria.
Also in Kwara State, NDLEA operatives raided the hideout of a notorious drug dealer, Bolanle Oladele (popularly known as Iya Nafi), in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area, on June 25. Various quantities of skunk, tramadol, and flunitrazepam were recovered during the operation.
Commending the efforts of the operatives, NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, praised officers in Delta, Kwara, and Seme Commands for their successful raids and seizures. He also lauded all NDLEA formations nationwide for maintaining a strong approach to both drug supply and demand reduction.
“These efforts reflect our unwavering commitment to cleansing our communities of the drug scourge. Every arrest and seizure moves us closer to a safer Nigeria,” Marwa stated.
