The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it has intercepted a Qatar-based businessman, Agu Amobi, and one other, Uchegbu Obi, with consignments of psychoactive substances at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos.
This was contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, December 31.
Babafemi revealed that while Amobi was arrested on Saturday, December 39, at the departure point of terminal 2 of the MMIA on his way to Doha, Qatar, on a Qatar Airways flight, Obi was taken into custody the same day following the seizure of a consignment of 72,000 pills of tramadol 225mg, which he attempted shipping to Kano on a local flight.
He noted that Amobi, who claimed he has been living and working in Doha, Qatar, for over 10 years, was caught with 1.30kg cannabis sativa concealed in a bag of foodstuffs.
According to the statement, the suspect claimed he bought the substance in Enugu to deliver in Doha to enable him to raise enough funds to pay his rent in Doha and Nigeria and the school fees of his three children.
Babafemi said in the same vein, NDLEA operatives at the domestic wing of the airport intercepted a carton containing a total of 72,000 pills of tramadol 250mg with a gross weight of 38.50kg.
He added that this was closely followed by the arrest of Uchegbu Onyebuchi Obi, who brought the consignment to the airport for shipment to Kano.
The statement reads, “On Christmas day, December 25, in Yobe State, NDLEA officers on patrol along Nguru-Gashua road intercepted the trio of Musa Sani, Mohammed Ibrahim, and Adamu Usman in truck conveying 39 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 15.7kg and 128,500 pills of opioids.
“Follow-up operations the following day, December 26, led to the arrest of the actual owner of the cannabis consignment, Ali Ibrahim (a.k.a Ramos), in Geidam, where additional 208 blocks of the same substance were recovered from his house, bringing the total to 247 blocks weighing 94.74kg, while the owner of the seized opioids, Mustapha Goni (a.k.a Lolo) was equally arrested.
“In Imo State, NDLEA operatives on Christmas eve, Sunday, December 24, while on patrol along Owerri – Onitsha expressway, intercepted a commercial bus driven by Peter Orji, 42, with 400 bottles of codeine syrup; 7 590 pills of opioids including tramadol 225mg heading to Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
“While David Michael, 52, was arrested at Unguwa Ukku area of Kano on Sunday, December 24, with 49 blocks of cannabis weighing 42.6kg, Umar Abdullahi, 27, was nabbed with 27, 350 pills of opioids at Gadar Tamburawa area of the city same day.
“This is even as 45-year-old Yusuf Yahaya was arrested the same Christmas eve along Lagos-Ilorin expressway with 31.00kg of compressed cannabis in a commercial bus coming from Ibadan, Oyo State to Kebbi State. Preliminary investigation revealed that he supplies illicit drugs to bandits in the Kebbi and Zamfara axis.”