The National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives have arrested a notorious drug dealer in Afuze, headquarters of Owan East local government area in Edo State.
The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Godwin Emuneyin, who uses a wheelchair due to physical challenges, was apprehended for his involvement in the illicit drug trade.
The arrest, which took place on November 7th, came as a result of credible intelligence.
At the time of the arrest, law enforcement officers recovered a wooden box containing illicit substances, including 18 pinches of methamphetamine, one block, and 71 wraps of skunk, all cleverly concealed.
Also, the agency conducted interdiction operations in Edo State on November 6th, resulting in the recovery of 42 bags of skunk, weighing 480 kilograms, from a camp in Aviosi Forest in Owan West LGA.
On the same day, 231.5 kilograms of the substance were recovered, and a cannabis farm spanning 0.778960 hectares was destroyed in Utese forest in Ovia North East LGA.
READ ALSO: NDLEA Chairman Urges Collaboration to Combat Drug Trafficking
In Adamawa state, on November 9th, NDLEA operatives patrolling along the Ngurore-Yola road intercepted a Toyota Corolla car marked TZG 97 KY. The car was found to be loaded with 30,899 Tramadol pills (225mg and 100mg) concealed within the vehicle’s compartments. The driver, identified as Sani Samaila, claimed he was transporting the drugs from Jalingo, Taraba State, to deliver them in Yola, Adamawa State.
On November 8th, a separate arrest took place in Ngurore town, where a suspect named Abdullahi Sani (a.k.a Danfulani) was found in possession of dried weeds believed to be cannabis sativa. He cooperated with law enforcement in locating the residence of a notorious drug lord, Alhaji Bubakari (a.k.a Dan Mamuda), an unrepentant ex-convict. During the operation, 19 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 13 kilograms were seized.
In Ogun state, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps, Defence Intelligence Agency, and the State Security Network (Amotekun), destroyed 18.875 tons of cannabis sativa on a 7.55-hectare farmland. An additional 100 jumbo bags containing 1,100 kilograms of the psychoactive substance were recovered in James town, Ogunmakin. Seven male suspects, including Okpor Chukwuma, were arrested in connection with the operation.
On November 10th, a commercial bus driver named Olayinka Sowo, aged 25, was arrested on the Ibadan – Akure expressway. He was apprehended for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to transport 45.150 kilograms of cannabis from Lagos to Osun state.
In Abuja on the same day, NDLEA officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Abaji-Abuja highway, seizing 7,980 pills of diazepam and 567 bottles of codeine syrup. A follow-up operation at Zuba motor park led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment, identified as Ugwu Ikenna, aged 30.
In Delta state, NDLEA operatives, with the support of the Nigerian Army, targeted a remote forest in Umuchime community, Ndokwa West LGA, where they destroyed 12.5 tons of cannabis on a five-hectare farmland. During the operation, 53.22 kilograms of processed weeds and seeds of the substance were recovered, and a suspect named Christopher Anim (alias Ogidi) was apprehended.
In Kano, on November 7th, two suspects, Amarachukwu Eugene (aged 32) and Abdulaziz Auwal (aged 25), were arrested by NDLEA operatives, who seized 202 blocks of skunk weighing 113.1 kilograms.
In addition to these enforcement operations, NDLEA commands across the country have intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy lectures.
These efforts include sensitization lectures for students in various states and advocacy visits to state officials to address the growing drug abuse issues. NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the efforts of NDLEA officers across the country for their work in both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.