The Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced a series of significant seizures and arrests in its ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and abuse. According to a statement by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the seizures were made at various locations across the country, including Lagos, Adamawa, Ekiti, Oyo, and Ogun states.
In one notable incident, NDLEA officers intercepted a cargo of frozen snails used to conceal 2,300 pills of tramadol at the Lagos airport. The pills, which were hidden in the luggage of a 48-year-old UK-based Public Health Assistant, were destined for Manchester, UK. Another suspect, a cargo agent, was arrested for attempting to export 15 parcels of skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in electrical bulbs to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Additionally, NDLEA operatives thwarted an attempt to export 810 pills of bromazepam hidden in female clothes to the US at a courier company in Lagos. In Adamawa, a suspect was intercepted with 38,270 pills of tramadol concealed in a car, which he had driven from Benin Republic. The agency also destroyed 53,250 kilograms of skunk on a cannabis farm in Ekiti state and recovered 1,140kg of the substance during an operation in Ondo state.
The NDLEA also reported several other seizures and arrests, including the recovery of 596kg of skunk in Oyo state, 273kg in Ogun state, and 74.5kg in Enugu state. The agency also intercepted 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup in a container from India at the Apapa port in Lagos.
The NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, commended the officers and men involved in the seizures and arrests, urging them to continue their efforts in the fight against drug abuse. The agency’s ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities also continued in schools, worship centers, and communities across the country.
These recent seizures and arrests demonstrate the NDLEA’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria. The agency’s efforts are crucial in reducing the availability of illicit drugs and promoting public health and safety. The NDLEA’s balanced approach to drug control, which includes enforcement, education, and advocacy, is essential in addressing the complex issue of drug abuse in the country.