ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it has recorded a major breakthrough in its nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, intercepting large consignments across seven states Kaduna, Edo, Kwara, Ogun, Taraba, Ondo, and Bauchi and arresting more than 15 suspects.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
According to Babafemi, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja.-Jos highway in Kaduna State on October 26 intercepted a truck loaded with 84,710 capsules of tramadol bound for Bauchi.
A follow-up operation in Bauchi led to the arrest of the intended recipient.
Two days later, on October 28, NDLEA officers stationed at the Abuja-Kaduna tollgate arrested another suspect transporting 32,946 bottles of Akuskura, a New Psychoactive Substance (NPS), from Lagos.
In Ogun State, three suspects were tracked from the Benin Republic and arrested in Abeokuta on November 1, with 1,779kg of skunk recovered from them. Another suspect was apprehended with 131.5kg of skunk at Kamfanin Zangon Aya, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna.
Similarly, in Bauchi State, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect with 596.4kg of skunk in Nasaru town, Ningi Local Government Area, on October 29.
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According to Vanguard reports, that same day in Kwara State, the agency recovered 532,600 pills of tramadol and exol-5 from three suspects in a truck marked KTG-791 ZZ at Oko-Olowo, Ilorin.
The agency’s Edo Command also made a significant seizure when officers on patrol along the Okhokho Isi axis in Uhunmwode Local Government Area intercepted two Toyota Sienna buses marked EPE 545 EV and ABC 142 CD conveying 1,455kg of skunk.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives recovered 2,829kg of skunk linked to a 32-year-old female suspect from two locations in Ayede, Ogbese. Another suspect was caught with 737kg of the same substance at Adegbola Junction, Akure.
Meanwhile, in Lagos NDLEA officers at Ibereko, Badagry, seized 76.5 litres of skuchies a dangerous cocktail of blackcurrant drink, skunk, and opioids.
In Taraba State, two suspects were apprehended in Wukari while transporting 30,370 tramadol pills and 177 grams of methamphetamine from Onitsha, Anambra, to Yola, Adamawa State.
Beyond enforcement, Babafemi noted that the agency’s commands nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation programmes in schools, worship centres, and workplaces.
Beneficiaries included students and staff of Aroje/Abaa Community High School in Ogbomoso, Amazing Flower Secondary School in Ikorodu, and Government Day Secondary School in Sokoto, among others.
Commending the operations, NDLEA Chairman Retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa lauded the officers for their resilience, professionalism, and dedication to Nigeria’s drug control efforts.
Marwa assured that the agency remains determined to dismantle all identified drug syndicates and ensure that traffickers are denied the proceeds of their illegal trade through asset forfeiture to the Federal Government.
“The NDLEA will continue to pursue drug cartels relentlessly and ensure that every traceable asset derived from this criminal enterprise is confiscated,” Marwa affirmed.