The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the arrest of a suspected drug trafficker, Egwu Phillip Inya, who claims to be a building engineer, for attempting to collect illicit consignments hidden in pressure machines imported from South Africa.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed in a statement on Sunday that the 42-year-old Egwu was apprehended on Monday, December 2, 2024, at Okeyson Motor Park in Enugu, where he arrived to pick up three pressure machines. Inside the machines were parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 7.40 kilograms.
Babafemi further noted that the consignments had arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, on November 29, 2024.
“Following credible intelligence, officers of the MMIA Strategic Command of the Agency had monitored the shipment pass through clearing processes up to a logistics company’s warehouse outside the airport where it was to be collected by the consignee.
“The importer however changed the point of collection to Enugu at the last minute. As a result, NDLEA operatives in a follow up operation in Enugu arrested Egwu when he showed up to collect the consignments.
“No fewer than 511,000 pills of tramadol were recovered from a Siena vehicle at Hildi, Askira Uba way in Adamawa state by NDLEA operatives on patrol along the road in the early hours of Friday 6th December.
“The occupants of the vehicle had made a detour on sighting the NDLEA team and after a distance abandoned the vehicle with the consignments after noticing the operatives were on their trail,” the statement said.
It also added that in Ekiti State, two suspects, Olanrewaju Alale, 48, and Babatunde Kayode Ijadahun, 55, were arrested along Ise- Emure road in a J5 bus marked EPE 958 XJ while transporting 108 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 1, 323 kilograms to Owo, Ondo state from where they claimed the consignment will be moved to the North for distribution.
It further read, “Another suspect, Adekunle Yusuf, 33, was nabbed by NDLEA operatives with 704 kilograms of the same psychoactive substance, concealed in white sacks on Friday 6th December at Idere road, Igboora, Oyo state.
“In Lagos, a grandmother, 65-year-old Ramata Bola Adeyemo was on Friday 6th December arrested by NDLEA operatives at 62 Odunfa street, Lagos Island, where 20.6 litres of codeine-based syrup were recovered from her. Also arrested in Lagos was Alhaji Lawan Manga who was picked at Ogundana Street, Ikeja on Thursday 5th December while 4.7kg cannabis and 1.3kg tramadol were recovered from him.
“With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Progressive Secondary School, Ado Awaye,
The NDLEA has conducted several outreach activities and operations across various states, including at Muslim Grammar School in Ede, Osun State; Government Girls College in Maiduguri, Borno State; Community Secondary School in Ogale, Rivers State; Santa Maria Secondary School in Igogoro, Enugu State; and Chiranci Upper Basic Junior Secondary School in Bichi, Kano State. Additionally, the Lagos State command organized a WADA enlightenment lecture for leaders and members of the NURTW in Orile Agege, Lagos, among other locations.
Commending the efforts of officers from MMIA, Adamawa, Ekiti, Lagos, and Oyo commands, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their operational successes. He emphasized that their achievements, along with the balanced approach to reducing drug supply and demand nationwide, are highly appreciated.