Ogonachukwu allegedly concealed the drug in cooked white
rice for her boyfriend.
The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on
Sunday, said the suspect’s boyfriend, Imagbebenikaro, was arrested along the
Airport Road, Benin City, in the Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, for
dealing in crack cocaine, cannabis sativa, and danabel (anabolic steroids).
Babafemi also noted that a total of 8,381,600 capsules and
tablets of tramadol and 56,782 bottles of codeine were seized during raids on
the Satellite Town and Alaba Rago areas of Lagos State.
The spokesperson said during a raid on Thursday, December
23, around the Satellite Town area, a drug kingpin, Ezekiel Ibe, was arrested
and over 7,991,600 milligrams, 225mg and 100mg of tramadol tablets, and 390,000
capsules weighing 5,468.894 kilogrammes were recovered from his warehouse.
He added, “In another raid on Monday, December 20, following
tasking surveillance in a notorious neighbourhood at Alaba Rago, Alaba area of
Lagos, one Surajo Mohammed was arrested with 941.14kg cannabis, while 56,782
bottles of codeine were seized from the store of another drug lord still at
large.
“In a related development, an outbound passenger to Italy on
a Turkish airline, Ovire Cyril, was arrested with 114 wraps of heroin with a
gross weight of 1.80kg during a routine search at Gate “C’ Departure Hall of
the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. The drugs were
concealed inside the pockets of four jean trousers, packed in a black suitcase.
“The suspect, who confessed that he was pushed into the
crime by hardship after he lost his job, claimed he was promised €5,000 if he
successfully delivered the consignment in Italy.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig.
Gen. Mohammed Marwa (retd), has said the agency confiscated hard drugs worth
N60bn in the last two months as part of a nationwide campaign to stem the tide
of illicit substance sales and consumption.
Marwa disclosed this on Sunday in Offa, Kwara State, at the
third colloquium of Galaxy Clique, Offa.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Hard Drug Abuse and Insecurity: A
Siamese Twins’, Marwa said 99 per cent of crimes committed in the country were
under the influence of hard drugs.
The NDLEA boss, who was represented by the Kwara State
Commander of the agency, Mr Kayode Babayeju, identified insecurity as a serious
threat to the country and traced the root cause to drug abuse, which had become
prevalent in the society.
He noted that criminals terrorising various communities were
residents among the populace and urged people not to shield them.
“With a consistent nationwide campaign, it is possible to
separate drug abuse from insecurity, notwithstanding the belief that they are
Siamese twins. We need to talk to our youths to reduce drug abuse because insurgency,
banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery are linked to substance abuse,” Marwa
said.
- PUNCH
