Various strategies to outwit operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have been thwarted as a suspected drug trafficker, Egwu Phillip Inya, has been arrested for using pressure machines to traffic illicit drugs.
The suspect who claims to be a building engineer, attempted to take delivery of illicit consignments concealed in pressure machines imported from South Africa.
Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, disclosed on Sunday in Abuja that the 42-year-old Egwu was arrested on Monday, 2nd December 2024 at Okeyson Motor Park, Enugu when he showed up to collect three units of pressure machines inside which were hidden parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 7.40 kilograms.
The consignments had arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos import shed on 29th, November 2024.
Following credible intelligence, officers of the MMIA Strategic Command of the Agency monitored the shipment pass through clearing processes up to a logistics company’s warehouse outside the airport where it was to be collected by the consignee.
The importer, however, changed the collection point to Enugu at the last minute.
As a result, NDLEA operatives in a follow-up operation in Enugu arrested Egwu when he showed up to collect the consignments.
It was learnt that no fewer than 511,000 pills of tramadol were recovered from a Sienna vehicle at Hildi, Askira Uba way in Adamawa state by NDLEA operatives on patrol along the road in the early hours of Friday, 6th December.
The vehicle occupants made a detour upon sighting the NDLEA team and, after a distance, abandoned the vehicle with the consignments after noticing the operatives were on their trail.
In Ekiti state, two suspects: Olanrewaju Alale, 48, and Babatunde Kayode Ijadahun, 55, were arrested along Ise-Emure road in a J5 bus marked EPE 958 XJ while transporting 108 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 1, 323 kilograms to Owo, Ondo state from where they claimed the consignment will be moved to the North for distribution.
Another suspect, Adekunle Yusuf, 33, was nabbed by NDLEA operatives with 704 kilograms of the same psychoactive substance, concealed in white sacks on Friday 6th December at Idere road, Igboora, Oyo state.
In Lagos, a grandmother, 65-year-old Ramata Bola Adeyemo was on Friday, 6th December arrested by NDLEA operatives at 62 Odunfa Street, Lagos Island, where 20.6 litres of codeine-based syrup were recovered from her.
Also arrested in Lagos was Alhaji Lawan Manga who was picked up at Ogundana Street, Ikeja on Thursday, 5th December while 4.7kg cannabis and 1.3kg tramadol were recovered from him.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), sensitization lectures to schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities, among other places, in the past week.
These include WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Progressive Secondary School, Ado Awaye, Oyo state; Muslim Grammar School, Ede, Osun state; Government Girls College, Maiduguri, Borno state; Community Secondary School, Ogale, Rivers state; Santa Maria Secondary School, Igogoro, Enugu state; and Chiranci Upper Basic Junior Secondary School, Bichi, Kano state while Lagos State command of NDLEA organised WADA enlightenment lecture for leaders and members of NURTW, Orile Agege, Lagos, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Adamawa, Ekiti, Lagos, and Oyo Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.
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