The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reported the apprehension of a 45-year-old notorious drug dealer, Godwin Emuneyin, who, despite being physically challenged and using a wheelchair as a disguise, engaged in the illegal trade of substances like methamphetamine and cannabis in Afuze, the headquarters of Owan East local government area in Edo state.
The Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, Femi Babafemi, issued a statement on Sunday, November 12, revealing that the suspect was captured by operatives on Tuesday, November 7, at his base in Afuze following credible intelligence.
Babafemi added that during the arrest, law enforcement recovered a wooden box containing illicit substances, including 18 pinches of methamphetamine, one block, and 71 wraps of cannabis.
According to the statement, additional interception efforts conducted by NDLEA operatives in Edo state on Monday, November 6th, resulted in the recovery of 42 bags of cannabis, weighing 480 kilograms, from a camp located in Aviosi forest in Owan West Local Government Area.
Femi Babafemi noted that on the same day, a raid was conducted in the Utese forest in Ovia North East Local Government Area, leading to the retrieval of 231.5 kilograms of the substance. Additionally, a cannabis farm covering 0.778960 hectares was dismantled during the operation.
It read: “In Adamawa state, operatives on patrol along Ngurore-Yola road on Thursday 9th November intercepted a Toyota Corolla car marked TZG 97 KY loaded with 30, 899 Tramadol 225mg and 100mg pills concealed inside the body compartments of the car. The driver found in possession of the drug exhibits, Sani Samaila (a.k.a Isa Male) 25 said he was bringing the consignment from Jalingo, Taraba State to deliver in Yola, Adamawa State.”
“The previous day, Wednesday 8th November, a suspect, Abdullahi Sani (a.k.a Danfulani) was arrested at Ngurore town in possession of some quantity of dried weeds suspected to be cannabis sativa in a white nylon. He thereafter led operatives on a follow-up operation to the home of a drug lord, Alhaji Bubakari (a.k.a Dan Mamuda), an unrepentant ex-convict, where 19 blocks of compressed cannabis that weighed 13kgs were recovered.”
“In Ogun state, not less than 18.875 tons of cannabis sativa on 7.55 hectares farmland were destroyed and another 100 jumbo bags weighing 1,100 kilograms of the psychoactive substance recovered at James town, Ogunmakin area of Obafemi Owode LGA on Monday 6th November, by a combined team of NDLEA operatives with officers and men of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps, Defence Intelligence Agency and the State Security Network, Amotekun. Okpor Chukwuma and six other male suspects found on the farmland were arrested.”
“While a commercial bus driver, Olayinka Sowo, 25, was arrested on Friday 10th November along Ibadan – Akure expressway over an alleged conspiracy to transport 45.150kgs cannabis from Lagos to Osun state, NDLEA officers in Abuja on same day intercepted 7, 980 pills of diazepam and 567 bottles of codeine syrup in a commercial bus along Abaji-Abuja highway after which a follow-up operation at Zuba motor park led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment, Ugwu Ikenna, 30.”
“In Delta state, NDLEA operatives backed by men of the Nigerian Army stormed a remote forest in Umuchime community, Ndokwa West LGA where they destroyed 12.5 tons of cannabis on five hectares of farmland, and recovered 53.22kgs processed weeds and seeds of the substance.”
“A suspect, Christopher Anim (alias Ogidi) was also arrested in the course of the operation. Two suspects: Amarachukwu Eugene, 32, and Abdulaziz Auwal, 25, were arrested in another operation by operatives in Kano with 202 blocks of cannabis weighing 113.1kgs on Tuesday 7th November.”
In a similar vein, Babafemi mentioned that law enforcement commands nationwide escalated their efforts in the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) by conducting advocacy lectures.
These initiatives included a sensitization lecture for students at Government Commercial Secondary School in Wudil, Kano state, a WADA advocacy visit to Zamfara state governor, Dr. Dauda Lawal, in Gusau, a WADA sensitization lecture for students at George Burton Memorial School in Ilesa, Osun state, and a similar lecture held at Kenneth Dike Secondary School in Awka, Anambra state, among others.
“While commending the officers and men of the Edo, Ogun, Osun, Adamawa, Delta, and FCT Commands of the Agency for their balanced efforts in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) equally applauded their counterparts across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures thus creating parity between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.”