NDLEA Seizes 8,852kgs of Illicit Drugs after Gun Duel in Lagos

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized a total of 8,852 kilogrammes (8.8 tons) of Canadian Loud, an imported synthetic strain of cannabis, after a 30-minute gun fight with armed men who were escorting the consignment loaded in two long trucks.

According to a statement by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, yesterday, the operatives acting on credible intelligence laid ambush for the traffickers along the Eleko beach road in Lekki, and at about 4:51am last Thursday, two long trucks conveying the illicit consignments were flagged down but rather than stopping, the trucks escorted by armed men sped off, and there was subsequent exchange of gunfire that lasted 30 minutes.

He said the drivers and their armed escorts after they were overpowered by the NDLEA operatives, escaped into the bush abandoning the trucks and the drug consignments.

He said while one of the trucks painted red had 149 jumbo bags weighing 6,548 kilogrammes, the second one with blue colour had 53 big bags with a weight of 2,304 kilogrammes, bringing the total number of bags to 202 and gross weight of both to 8,852 kilogrammes.

He said operatives were already on the trail of the drug lord who shipped the illicit consignment into the country.

Babafemi said on same day, NDLEA operatives also intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle driven by one Mukaila Idowu, conveying 88.3 kilogrammes skunk at Otedola bridge, Ikeja area of Lagos, while another suspect, Joseph Friday, was arrested last Saturday, at Iyana Ira, Lagos, with 58.7 kilogrammes cannabis sativa concealed inside his Toyota Camry car marked FST 587FH.

In Ogun state, operatives in the early hours of last Wednesday busted a mini factory where a suspect, Bakare Taofeek was producing skucchies around Safari Onikolobo, Abeokuta. He revealed that exhibits recovered from him included four kilogrammes black currant drink (Sobo) mixed with cannabis; 255 litres of skucchies; 1,880 tablets of tramadol; 735 grammes of cannabis; three deep freezers; two gas cylinders and two cooking pots among others.

Also operatives in Adamawa arrested a suspect, Sahabi Mohammed, 39, with 8,800 tablets of tramadol and counterfeit N60,000-naira notes, while another suspect, Bala Ali Umar, was arrested last Wednesday, with 2.850 kilogrammes cannabis sativa and 825 litres of formalin popularly known as ‘Suck and Die’ at Anguwar Laka, Numan local government area.

In Edo state, a Toyota Previa bus marked NER 460 XA (Bayelsa) conveying 13,000 pills of tramadol and diazepam was intercepted along Ewohimi road, heading to Ekiti state, while the driver of the vehicle, Femi Oluwadare, was taken into custody last Friday.

Babafemi, also disclosed that another suspect, Ahmed Rafi’u, 34, was arrested with 84 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 43.2 kilogrammes by operatives in Kogi state, while 381.1 kilogrammes of the same substance was recovered from three suspects travelling in a Sienna bus in Anambra State.

They included: Innocent Saturday; Sunday Asuquo and Akpan Asukuma, who were arrested by a combined patrol team of security agents comprising NDLEA operatives and other security agencies at Nneobi, Anambra state.

Meanwhile, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), attached to courier firms also intercepted blocks of compressed brown methamphetamine packaged as soap bars weighing 1.54 kilogrammes going to Australia.

The statement disclosed that the seizure that took place at a courier house in Lagos, last Tuesday, was a follow up operation to an earlier interception of 3.39 kilogrammes of the same substance on 23rd February 2023.

“A suspected drug courier, Paul Adetigbe who delivered the previous parcel was eventually arrested with the latest consignment,” the statement added.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), while commending officers and men of Lagos, Ogun, Adamawa, Edo, Kogi and Anambra Commands of the agency as well as those of DOGI for their vigilance and professionalism, urged them and their peers across the country to step up in their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.