Published By Olukayode Idowu
Five university undergraduates are among suspects arrested for drugs offenses in raids across nine states by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the last one weeks.
A statement on Sunday by spokesman of the anti-narcotics organisation, Femi Babafemi said students of American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa and University of Maiduguri, Borno state are among suspects arrested for drug offences in raids operations across nine states in the last week.
Babafemi said two of the students; Emmanuel Thlama and Jonah Joshua were arrested with 16.8 kilogrammes cannabis in the night of 30th Nov when operatives raided a settlement opposite Gate 4 of the University of Maiduguri.
He said the other three, all AUN undergraduate students are Ekene Asher; Daniel Alkali and Emmanuel Smooth, who were arrested at 11:30pm on Thursday 2nd Dec. after taking delivery of Loud, a strong variant of cannabis ordered by Ekene for them to smoke.
He said earlier, same day, operatives also intercepted a motorised concrete mixer truck used to conceal 2000.6 kilogrammes of cannabis, loaded at Ogbese, Ondo state. Two suspects arrested with the drugs are Matthew Donuwe and Friday Nborgwu with both claiming they have spent a month on the road from Ondo state hoping to deliver the consignment in Mubi, Adamawa before they were arrested at Girei in Girei local government area of the state.
Babafemi also revealed that in Oyo state, operatives intercepted 608.4 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa concealed in a black Toyota Sequoia SUV with registration number Lagos MUS 553 GN and parked around toll gate area, Ibadan-Ife expressway, Egbeda LGA, Ibadan on Friday 3rd December, adding that the following day, operatives equally seized 85.9 kilogrammes cannabis recovered from the boot of a Nissan Primera car, Lagos FJK 890 DZ and in one of the rooms of an apartment where search operation was carried out at Adegbayi area, Alakia, Egbeda local government area.
He said those arrested in connection with the seizure include: Benson Uzoka, 46; Kafayat Adeyemi Uzoka, 40; Ndidi Uzoka, 39 and Christopher Uzoka, 42.
Babafemi also said arrested are the duo of Praise Emmanuel and Aminu Aliyu with 228 kilogrammes cannabis in Kano, adding that operatives in Taraba stormed cannabis farms in Changso village, Kurmi local government area, located on the mountains between Nigeria and Cameroon, evacuated 364 kilogrammes of the illicit drug and set the rest on fire.
He said one ThankGod Danladi who has just finished a jail term in October was arrested on Wednesday 1st December with 67 kilogrammes cannabis in another raid in the state.
In Niger state, operatives intercepted a commercial bus with 215 kilogrammes cannabis concealed in a false bottom and side door of the bus, along Mokwa – Jebba road, with the two suspects; a driver and his conductor arrested claiming they loaded the consignment in Ogere, Ogun State and were heading to Sokoto as their final destination.
In Delta state, a lady Tina Ujene was arrested in Ibusa with 1.1 kilogrammes cannabis while a follow up raid on her supplier’s home leading to the recovery of 54.7 kilogrammes of the same substance.
Babafemi also said different quantities of cannabis, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, diazepam and Exol-5 were seized in raids at AP- Eleme and Garki, Oil Mill areas of Port Harcourt, as well as Lewe and Kadiri in Gokana local government area of Rivers state on Friday 3rd December, while in Ondo state, a 72-year-old Emmanuel Akanbi was arrested at Odofin camp, Uso, Owo local government area with 2,050 kilogrammes cannabis.
Meanwhile, a 44-year-old father of three, Gabriel Patrick has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja for ingesting 96 pellets of cocaine, which he excreted in the custody of the agency.
A native of Nike in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu state, Gabriel was arrested on Friday 26th November during an outward clearance of Turkish Airline at the boarding screening area of the airport enroute Abuja-Istanbul-Madrid.
He had travelled to Germany in 1996 for two years on asylum after which he relocated to Spain in 1999 where he currently holds a residence permit and works as a driver in a food manufacturing company. He claimed he came into Nigeria on 17th November to sell cloths and car spare parts he shipped to Lagos earlier.
He however said he could not sell his consignments, which cost him 4,000 Euros excluding the cost of shipment because they were priced below the cost price at Ladipo market in Lagos and he needed to travel back to Spain to resume work after the expiration of his annual leave.
This, he said led him to accept an offer to traffic the drug for which he would be paid 1,500 Euros when he successfully delivers the consignment to someone in Spain. He claimed he left Lagos for Enugu to see his family members, and then travelled on 25th November to Onitsha, Anambra state where he was picked from Upper Iweka park at night and taken to a house where he was given the 96 pellets of cocaine to ingest before leaving for Abuja to board his flight to Madrid the following day.
In another clampdown, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos have arrested one Okorie Godwin Onyeribe over his attempt to export 21.85 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in foodstuff to London, UK. He was nabbed at the NAHCO export shed of the airport on Friday 3rd Dec.
Reacting to the arrests, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) has commended the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, Adamawa, Borno, Taraba, Niger, Oyo, Ondo, Kano, Rivers and Delta commands of the agency for their recent efforts.
He charged them along with their colleagues in other commands to constantly focus on raising the bar of their achievements until the last gramme of illicit drug is taken away from every community in Nigeria.
