Officers from the Special Operation Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled a cartel led by 49-year-old drug baron Kelechi Monday Nwaobasi and his 50-year-old sister, Ms. Chinwe Rose Nwaobasi. The cartel’s hideout in Aba, Abia State, was found to contain cocaine and methamphetamine consignments valued at over N4.1 billion on the street.
According to a statement by the NDLEA’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the special operation was conducted on Thursday, June 13, and Friday, June 14, 2024, at 3B, Boundary Avenue, Aba, and a residence along Ohia Road, Ohia, Abia State. Following months of intelligence gathering, the operation led to the arrest of the ring leaders and the seizure of 20.76 kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives in Lagos State uncovered a large warehouse containing a significant consignment of codeine-based syrup. Located in the Comfort Oboh area of Kirikiri, the warehouse was raided based on intelligence, resulting in the arrest of four individuals connected to the importation and distribution of the opioid. Those arrested include Kingsley Amanambu Obumneke, 38; Emeka Emmanuel, 48; Bonaventure Ugochukwu, 59; and Martin Dike, 56. A total of 82,000 bottles of the opioid, valued at more than N600 million on the street, along with a Toyota Tacuma truck and two buses used for distribution, were seized during the operation on Monday, June 10, 2024.
Additionally, on Wednesday, June 12, operatives intercepted another suspect, Ibrahim Abdulhamid, with 29,100 pills of tramadol and other opioids, as well as 3.9 liters of codeine syrup, at Alaba Suru in the Ojo local council area of Lagos State.
A total of 230,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and 200mg were seized from Yasir Rabi’u, 23, and Abubakar Ado, 30, prominent illicit drug distributors in Kano and Jigawa states, during their arrest on Monday, June 10th, in the Gadar Tamburawa area of Kano. Additionally, Hassan Abdullahi Ali, 25, was caught with 150 bottles of codeine syrup in the Kofar Nassarawa area of Kano on Tuesday, June 11th.
In a related operation in Ogun State, NDLEA operatives seized 390kg of cannabis and apprehended Muhammad Sani, Nura Mohammad, and Samaila Rabe during an early morning raid on Monday, June 10th, in the Ibese area. On Wednesday, June 12th, officers also dismantled a skuchies production factory in the Sabo area of Shagamu town, arresting seven suspects: Kareem Jamiu, Oriyimi Ayo, Bamidele Wasiu, Rasheed Olarewanju, Ramota Lawal, Amudalat Olarewanju, and Adeniyi Omotosho. The raid recovered 387 liters of skuchies, 70 liters of industrial codeine, 25kg of cannabis, and various quantities of tramadol, rophynol, and diazepam, along with equipment used for producing the psychoactive substance.
On Wednesday, June 12th, NDLEA officers destroyed 10,534.78 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on 4.213912 hectares of farmland in Uhen forest, Ovia North East council area of Edo State, arresting four suspects: Frank Ishoku, 38; Clifford Ossai, 49; Vanger Timothy, 30; and John Peter Oluwaseyi, 30, and recovering 16kg of processed cannabis for prosecution.
In a similar operation, 18,425kg of cannabis grown on 7.37 hectares of farmland was destroyed by NDLEA operatives, with the support of other security agencies, in the thick forest of Ise Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Friday, June 14th.
In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, two suspects, Muhammad Abba, 33, and Samson Ehizogie, 42, were arrested with 3,550 bottles of “Akuskura,” a new mixture of psychotropic substances, during a raid on Friday, June 14th, at Garki Area 10 and Dutse Suokale within the FCT.
Emmanuel Ogechi, 24, was apprehended with 11,200 tramadol pills on Wednesday, June 12, along the Otukpo-Enugu road by NDLEA operatives in Benue State. Similarly, Anayo Onwe, 40, was arrested with 62.4kg of cannabis sativa in Nteje, while 1kg of methamphetamine belonging to a fleeing suspect was seized in Oraifite, both in Anambra State. In Kwara State, Muhammed Musa, 24, was caught with 33kg of cannabis in Bode-Saadu, Jebba, and Shokuro Adeola, 59, was found with 11.5kg of the same substance along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Oyo State.
Simultaneously, NDLEA commands and formations nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities, reaching schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities over the past week. These efforts included WADA enlightenment lectures for students and teachers at Mind Builder College in Oyo town, Oyo State; Demonstration Secondary School in Kabba, Kogi; Government Secondary School in Bunkure, Kano; Command Day Secondary School in Ede, Osun; Khulafau-Rashideen Islamic School in Babanna, Niger State; and Aggrey Memorial Modern School in Arochukwu, Abia State, among others.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and personnel of the Special Operation Unit, as well as those in Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Ekiti, Oyo, Kwara, Anambra, Benue, and FCT Commands for their arrests and seizures. He acknowledged their operational successes and urged them to maintain their efforts, emphasizing the importance of ongoing drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction initiatives.