The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested 28 person including a pregnant woman, a nursing mother and a 200-level university student with 9,437.6kgs of cannabis and 138,053 tablets of pharmaceutical opioids among others.
In a statement issued on Sunday, spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said the seizures and arrests were during interdiction operations across various states, namely; Yobe, Ondo, Edo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Kaduna, Kwara, Lagos and the FCT, Abuja.
According to him, a 200-level student of Mass Communication at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Ms Mercy Nyong, 30, was on Wednesday 12th October arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos for attempting to export 300grams of tramadol 225mg concealed in incense products going to Dubai, UAE.
The statement further indicated that operatives in the FCT on Saturday, 15th October, stormed a village known as Chukuku, about 10 kilometres from Gwagwalada where they raided a large cannabis warehouse.
“A total of 510 jumbo bags of the illicit substance weighing 5, 640kgs were recovered from the store with a nursing mother who was in charge, Sa’adatu Abdullahi, 35, arrested,” it read in part.
It further indicated that in Yobe, 48kgs of cannabis were intercepted in Buni Yadi, while 31kgs of the substance was recovered in Potiskum where two suspects: Mohammed Mamuda and a married pregnant woman, Hauwa Haruna were arrested.
In Ogbese area of Ondo State, 99 bags of cannabis and three bags of its seeds weighing 1,286kgs were seized while in Edo state, a seizure of 410kgs of the same substance in addition to a motorcycle, two Dane guns was made and the arrest of two suspects: Numga Anim, 30, and Friday Ebije, 50.
“Also in Edo State, not less than 50 bags of C/S weighing 623kgs were recovered at Ekpom village in Igueben LGA with the arrest of the owner, Lucky Henry, 30, while another suspect, Ndidi Esegine, 52, was nabbed at Ugbodo forest, Ovia North East LGA with 266.8kgs C/S on Tuesday 11th October,” the statement added.
