The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) stated it seized over 14million hard drugs, pills of tramadol, and codeine which are worth over 13 million on the street value in top drug cartel locations such as Amuwo Odofin, Idumota, Skyway Avaiation Handling Company (SAHCO) axis of Murtala Muhammed Interntional Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Among those arrested for alleged drugs trafficking were 3 blind men and a businessman.

Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy revealed on Sunday, 5^th November, 2023 that the illegal drugs were seized following raids of different hideouts in the stated locations.

“No less than Fourteen Million, Four Hundred and Eighty-One Thousand, Five Hundred and Nineteen (14,481,519) drugs worth more than Thirteen Billion Naira (13,000,000,000) in street value have been recovered by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), in Amuwo Odofin, Idumota, and SAHCO axis of Murtala Muhammed Interntional Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

The suspects in the NDLEA custody are: Musa Mutalib, Udeh Felix Monday, Lawal Itunu Temitope, Unege Evans Icibor, Oladele Sanya-Olu, and Sanamo Alla Daniel. The other suspects on the run and wanted by NDLEA are; Abdullahi Aliyu (Aboki), Monday Anwal, and Sarki Mubarak Salami.

Nwoloko Ifeanyi Anthony, a 50-year-old businessman was intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) on Sunday, 29^th October, 2023 during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 878 to Amsterdam, Netherlands via Paris, France at the boarding gate and was body scanned. The result turned out to be positive for illicit drug ingestion.

Babafemi said; “the suspect who travelled from Lagos to board the flight was subsequently kept under observation for some days during which he excreted a total of 86 pellets of heroin weighing 1,330 kilogrammes.”

NDLEA Operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), attached to courier firms on Monday 30th October 2023, intercepted 22 parcels of cocaine concealed in the walls of a carton containing sewn local fabrics popularly known as “Aso Oke heading to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,” he further added.

More so, three blind men operating an illegal drug trafficking were arrested between Lagos and Kano, and Osun State Command of the agency destroyed six hectares of cannabis farm. Adamu Hassan, 40, along Gwagwalada expressway Abuja with 12kgs of skunk on his way from Lagos to Kano on Saturday, 28th October, 2023.

“Follow-up operations then led to the arrest of the arrowhead of the syndicate, Bello Abubakar, 45, who is also blind. In his statement, Bello who is married with five children said he has been living in Lagos for 30 years but started the illicit drug business five years ago.

“Another suspect, Muktar Abubakar, 59, who is equally blind has been living in Lagos for 40 years and married to three wives with 14 children. Both Muktar Abubakar and Bello Abubakar are joint owners of the business, while the third suspect, Akilu Amadu, 25, also blind equally contributes money to the criminal trade and was indeed the one who delivered the consignment to Adamu at the motor park in Lagos to deliver in Kano. Another blind suspect who is the expected receiver of the consignment in Kano, Mallam Aminu is currently at large.”

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“While operatives in Osun on Saturday 4th November, 2023 stormed the Obada sawmill forest in Owena-Ijesa, Oriade LGA where they arrested a suspect, Monday Sylvester, 37, on a 6.01 hectares of cannabis farm which was destroyed and 489.8kgs already processed plant recovered, their colleagues in Edo raided a trans-loading point inside Avbiosi forest, Owan West LGA where 603 kilograms of the illicit substance were seized.

“Also, NDLEA officers in Ogun state on Friday 3rd November, 2023 recovered a Toyota Sienna bus from a ditch, at Ajebo Area, along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 460kgs of the same substance, while a total of 116.5kgs of cannabis sativa belonging to a suspect at large were seized at Olagunju, Mushin area of Lagos.”