Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have busted a major warehouse in a secluded estate in Ikorodu area of Lagos where 1.8 tonnes (1,855 kilogrammes) of cocaine with street value of $278,250,000 (approximately $278.3 million) or N194,775,000,000 (approximately N194.8 billion) were seized.
A statement on Monday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi revealed that the seized drug is perhaps the biggest singular cocaine seizure in the history of the country.
According to the statement, at least four drug barons including a Jamaican and the warehouse manager have been arrested in the well coordinated and intelligence led operation that lasted two days across different locations in Lagos state.
Babafemi said kingpins of the cocaine cartel in custody include: Messrs Soji Jibril, 69; Emmanuel Chukwu, 65; Wasiu Akinade, 53; Sunday Oguntelure, 53, and Kelvin Smith, 42, a native of Kingston, Jamaica.
He said they are all members of an international drug syndicate that the agency has been trailing since 2018.
He revealed that the warehouse located at 6 Olukuola crescent, Solebo estate, Ikorodu, was raided last Sunday while the barons were picked from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos between Sunday night and yesterday.
He said preliminary investigation revealed the class A drugs were warehoused in the residential estate from where the cartel was trying to sell them to buyers in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world. They were stored in 10 travel bags and 13 drums.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd)
while commending all the officers and men of the agency involved in the extensive investigation including those of the American Drug Enforcement Administration, (US-DEA), said the bust is a historical blow to the drug cartels and a strong warning that they will all go down if they fail to realise that the game has changed.
Makinde approves reconstruction, dualisation of 35.6km Iwo Road-Lalupon-Odo Oba Road
Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde has approved the sum of N12.5 Billion Naira for the reconstruction, rehabilitation and dualisation of 35.6km Iwo Road Interchange-Olodo-Lalupon-Odo Oba Road.
The contract covers the Oyo State end of the Oyo-Osun boundary linking Ibadan in Oyo State to Iwo, Osun State.
This was disclosed to newsmen, on Tuesday, by the Commissioner for Public Works, Infrastructure and Transport, Professor Dahud Kehinde Sangodoyin, shortly after the state executive council meeting presided over by the governor.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the project is expected to be completed within 18 months.
Sangodoyin noted that the two state governments of Oyo and Osun will flag off the project very soon, saying: “Today, we held the 9th of the Oyo State Executive Council meeting and at the meeting, we approved the reconstruction, rehabilitation and dualisation of the 35.6km road that links the Iwo road interchange to Olodo Bank to Lalupon to Odo-Oba Bridge, which is a boundary between Oyo State and Osun states.
“The road project is subdivided into three parts. The first is the 7.7km from Iwo Road interchange to Olodo Bridge. “Also, we will extend the bridge to about 24 metres wide and 12 metres long.
“On the second tranche, we also want to dualise the 500 metres from the bridge to Ogunmarako Junction and thereafter, we will do a 27.33km from Ogunmarako to Odo-Oba Bridge at the other end of Oyo and Osun boundary.
“We are going to do the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the bridge there and the contract sum is N12, 560,920,000 for duration of 18 months. It was awarded to Messrs Peculiar Ultimate Concerns Limited.”
The council also approved the restoration, modernization and maintenance of street lights at 10 strategic junctions across Oyo State at the sum of N247 million, through Alternative Funding Project Approach.
This was revealed by the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Barr. Seun Asamu.
According to him, the Executive Council approved the project for the restoration, modernisation and maintenance of traffic lights at designated junctions, using the Alternative Funding Approach.
He said: “We intend to begin with 10 junctions, namely Adamasingba, Salvation Army junction; Queen Elizabeth-Secretariat junction; NTA-Government House junction; Oba Akinbiyi-Premier junction; Secretariat-Bodija market junction and Awolowo-Sango-Mokola-Elewure junction in Ibadan. “Also, we have the Sango-Isaletaba-Ajegunle junction in Saki and the Owode junction in Oyo. These were approved for immediate implementation once the administrative process has been completed.”
