ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have successfully intercepted a Colorado consignment hidden in boxing kits from the US at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja, Lagos.
The weeklong intelligence-led operation led to the arrest of 38-year-old Olorunfunmi Saheed Olakunle on 6 January for distributing the psychoactive substance in Lagos on behalf of his US-based childhood friend, Sagir Salami.
This information was disclosed in a statement signed by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, and shared on the agency’s Facebook page on Sunday.
In a parallel development, NDLEA also revealed the apprehension of 28-year-old Bilkisu Suleman on 3 January along the Zaria-Kano expressway. She was caught with 249 rounds of live ammunition concealed in her handbag, destined for delivery to a bandit in Kakumi village, Katsina state.
The agency carried out successful operations in Kaduna, Niger, Kogi, Kano, Borno, and Osun, resulting in various arrests and drug seizures.
The statement in part said, “A weeklong intelligence-led operation to get the receiver arrested was consummated on Saturday 6th January following the successful tracking and arrest of 38-year-old Olorunfunmi Saheed Olakunle who distributes the dangerous psychoactive substance to dealers across Lagos state.
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“The consignment had arrived in the country on Monday 1st January via Cairo on Egypt Airlines flight marked as boxing kits.
“According to Saheed, he delivers such consignments to different recipients whenever his childhood friend, US-based Sagir Salami sends them. The latest shipment has a total weight of 1.80 kilograms.
“Meanwhile, a 28-year-old female supplier of ammunition to bandits, Bilkisu Suleman came top on the list of twelve (12) other suspects arrested by NDLEA operatives in new year interdiction operations in Kaduna, Lagos, Niger, Kogi, Kano, Borno, and Osun states.
“Bilkisu was arrested on Wednesday 3rd January by NDLEA officers on patrol along Zaria Kano expressway in possession of 249 rounds of 7.62 mm live ammunition concealed in a black nylon bag kept in her lady handbag.
“She was on her way to deliver the ammunition to an identified bandit in Kakumi village, Katsina state when she was nabbed after which she was transferred to the Kaduna state command of the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation.
“The military authorities at the Bonny camp cantonment in Lagos on Tuesday 2nd January transferred a suspect, Francis Suru, 37 and 63 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 2,104.2 kilograms and a truck to the Lagos state command of NDLEA.
“The suspect and the drug exhibits were earlier intercepted by NDLEA officers on 12th December 2023 close to the gate of the military cantonment in Bonny Camp, Victoria Island.
“Some armed escorts however resorted to sporadic shooting to obstruct the operation, a development which attracted soldiers from the cantonment, who eventually intervened and took custody of the consignment and suspect before transferring them to the Agency.”