Published By Olukayode Idowu
A fake police officer and a soldier equally suspected to be fake as well as a youth corps member are among 663 drug traffickers and users arrested during raids by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on notorious drug joints in Lagos, Abuja, Benue and other parts of the country which resulted in seizures or destruction of assorted illicit drugs weighing over 153,256.9 kilogrammes in the past week.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotic agency, Femi Babafemi said In Lagos, the notorious drug haven, Akala in Mushin area of the state was on Friday 15th October raided by a combined team of 70 NDLEA operatives and 30 soldiers in a joint operation code named ‘ Operation Still Waters.’ during which not less that 27 suspects were arrested with various drugs such as Cocaine, Heroin, Tramadol, Rohypnol and Cannabis, with a cumulative weight of 2,463.9 kilogrammes seized.
He said a day earlier, operatives have raided drug joints in Ojo and Maryland areas of the state where six persons were arrested and different quantities of drugs seized, following another raid of Alhaji Lasisi street, Idioro in Mushin as well as Okota in the Oshodi-Isolo area of the state during which 12 suspects were arrested and over 165 kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs recovered.
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He said in neighbouring Ogun state, operatives on Friday 15th October intercepted one Williams Esuabom along Ore-Sagamu expressway with 562.5 kilogrammes Cannabis being conveyed in a Toyota Sienna bus, and in North Central Benue state, narcotic officers in a joint operation with soldiers raided Lafia park where six suspects including a youth corps member, Paul Ndubuisi were arrested with different quantities of drugs.
This he said came on the heels of the arrest of a suspected fake soldier, Abel John along Apir-Makurdi-Aliade road with 3.5 kilogrammes Cannabis on Wednesday 13th October.
In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, Babafemi said, a suspected fake Assistant Superintendent of Police, Joshua Yusuf who claimed to be serving in Kano was arrested along Gwagwalada expressway while conveying 45.5 kilogrammes of Cannabis.
He also disclosed that three suspects were arrested during raids in Dabba and Luku village, Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State where over 64 kilogrammes drugs were recovered on Wednesday 13th October.
Babafemi also revealed that in Ekiti state, NDLEA operatives in their numbers stormed the forest reserve along Uso Road, Ise-Orun local government area, where they destroyed over 150,000 kilogrammes of cannabis being harvested on 40 hectares of land during an operation that lasted more than three days. He noted that the operation, which began on Tuesday continued till Sunday 17th October.
He said in other raids across other states in the country, no fewer than 615 suspects were arrested and illicit drugs with a total weight of 3394.2031 kilogrammes recovered.
Speaking on the success of the raids, Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the Lagos state Command and their counterparts in Benue, FCT, Ogun, Ekiti and other parts of the country for their resilience and commitment to the war against illicit substances.
He however charged them not to rest on their oars, while calling for continued collaboration between the agency and other stakeholders especially the armed forces and other law enforcement agencies.