NDLEA Intercepts 12,385kg of Loud Cannabis on Lagos Waterways

Michael Olugbode in Abuja and Wale Igbintade in Lagos

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the weekend intercepted 12,385 kilogrammes of loud cannabis from getting into Lagos.

According to a statement issued by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, loud cannabis is a strong specie of the illicit weed imported from a neighbouring country (which name was not revealed) and smuggled into Lagos through the waterways.

Babafemi said the operatives acted on credible intelligence that 12,385 pellets of loud cannabis were brought in from the particular West African country through the ocean and ferried with boats to the Eko Atlantic beach, Victoria Island in Lagos from where they would be distributed to drug hotspots such as Island, Peti Alagba and others areas across Lagos and other states.

He said on getting the intel, over 50 narcotic officers stormed the beach on November 27, 2021, and recovered the consignments along with two long trucks, a Toyota Sienna van, as well as arrested three suspects.

The agency spokesman said those arrested are Abdulkadri Zakari, 24; Ka’abu Sausu, 45, and Lawrence Adie, 27.

In another clampdown, a 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Beatrice Aigbedion, was among the suspects arrested in some parts of Edo State in connection with the seizure of over 5,000 kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs across the state.

Babafemi said after days of surveillance, NDLEA operatives on November 24 stormed a warehouse at Uhiere, Ovia North East Local Government Area of the state, where they recovered a total of 4,261.5 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa, while a suspect, Ikong Stanley, was arrested.
He said on the previous day, 1,240 kilogrammes was equally seized at a warehouse in Uzebba, Owan West LGA of the state.

Babafemi said: “At the point of her arrest in Irrua last Wednesday, Aigbedion was caught with different quantities of codeine cough syrup, Swinol and Rohypnol, while another dealer, Joseph Onyemaechi, 50, was also nabbed at Upper Sakponba area in Benin-city last Friday with different types of psychotropic substances weighing 2.055 kilogrammes.”

He said similarly, Gabriel Akioya and Isa Salihu were arrested on November 25 at Irrua, Esan Central LGA with various quantities of Codeine, Tramadol, Swinol and Rohypnol.

Also, in neighbouring Delta State, Babafemi said operatives raided Hampton Towers and Spa Hotel on Okpanam road, Asaba, where Dobedient Etumudor and Thompson Chukwuemeka were arrested with different quantities of psychoactive substances, while another suspected dealer, Emeka Ben, was nabbed with 4.7 grammes of Methamphetamine on Asaba-Ibusa road.

He said other suspects arrested in Delta State on November 25 for dealing in meth, cannabis, cocaine, and heroin are Ifeanyi Odibe, Uche Onwurah, and Justice Obika.

Babafemi said in Kano State, a suspected drug dealer, Alhaji Bukar Malan Abdu, was arrested and 143 kilogrammes of cannabis recovered from him, while 466 kilogrammes of same drug was seized in the home of one Bashir Shuaibu, an indigene of Edo State, but resident in Kano, who deals in cannabis sativa.

The spokesman of NDLEA said on November 25, a drug dealer in Maiduguri, Borno State, Chima Obi, was arrested in a follow-up operation following the seizure of his drug consignment, 73.2 kilogrammes codeine, at an NDLEA checkpoint in Postiskum, Yobe State, the same day.

The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), in his reaction to the arrests and huge seizures in Lagos, Edo, Delta, Kano and Yobe States, commended the officers and men involved in the operations, urging them and their compatriots in other commands not to rest on their oars.

He also charged them to always strive to record greater feats until the drug supply and drug demand reduction targets of the agency are fully achieved.