In a significant crackdown on drug-related activities, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted twelve consignments of cocaine at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, on Saturday, December 9, 2023. The consignments, weighing 17.6 kilograms and comprising 797 pellets, were linked to a Drug Trafficking Organisation.
In an official statement, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja Femi Babafemi said the suspect, Augustine Justine Emeka, a 44-year-old businessman, was apprehended upon his arrival from Douala, Cameroon, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Emeka, who claimed to deal in copper wire, confessed during a preliminary interview that the cocaine was intended for delivery to 12 individuals within the country.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, arrested Onyejiuwa Prince Ifeanyi on Friday, December 8. Ifeanyi had been in hiding since September 8 following the seizure of a 20kg cannabis consignment bound for the United Kingdom. The drugs were concealed in tomato paste tins at the SAHCO shed, and investigators traced the shipment back to Ifeanyi.
Meanwhile, at the Seaports Operations of the Agency, a 45-year-old Beninoise, Jamila Fatiu, was apprehended at Ebute Ero Jetty in Lagos Island on Monday, December 4. Fatiu was found in possession of 398 bottles of codeine cough syrup, en route to Seme border via a boat service.
In Katsina state, NDLEA officers, acting on intelligence, disrupted a pre-wedding ceremony drug abuse competition in the Shola Quarters community. The operation resulted in the arrest of 25 youths engaged in drug abuse. The groom, Musa Gwandi, who organized the event, was later apprehended on December 3.
In Anambra state, a truck marked BEN 302 YS (Edo) was intercepted on Sunday, December 3, carrying 5,612 bottles of codeine-based syrup, 57,800 capsules of tramadol, and 5,100 ampoules of pentazocine injection, among other illicit substances. Two additional arrests were made in separate locations within the state on December 9, involving 15.8503kg of various drugs.
Further operations across various states led to the arrest of several individuals, including those in possession of cannabis, tramadol, pentazocine injection, and other illegal substances. The NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign in schools, markets, worship places, and other locations across the country.
Commending the officers and men involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), urged them to maintain the offensive action tempo while emphasizing the importance of balancing enforcement efforts with drug demand reduction initiatives.
