By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested three persons in possession of fake naira notes amounting to 3.2 million naira.
The anti-narcotics agency’s spokesman, Mr. Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
TheFact Daily reports that the three suspects, eight-month pregnant Favour Peter, aged 24, Esther Adukwu, 27, and Ochigbo Michael, 39, were arrested after a commercial bus in which they were travelling with the counterfeit money was intercepted at Jabi Park in Abuja. The arrest was the result of a follow up operation on Tuesday 9th April following the seizure of the fake naira notes in Lokoja, Kogi State.
In the same vein NDLEA officers in collaboration with men of the Nigerian Navy Ship Lugard base, Lokoja, intercepted 37-year-old Aliyu Lawal along Lokoja-Abuja road on Monday 8th April and recovered 620 blocks of cannabis weighing 310kg from him, while 10 sacks of the same psychoactive substance weighing 98kg were seized along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja express way by NDLEA operatives from Jama Obodo, 44, in a commercial bus coming from Ilesha, Osun State enroute Taraba State on Wednesday 10th April.
In Cross River State, a 40-year-old widow and mother of two, Mrs. Theodora Ita was on Monday 8th April arrested at Bassey Edom, Calabar, by NDLEA operatives for producing and selling a lethal new psychoactive substance, NPS, locally called ‘Combine’, which is a mixture of different strains of cannabis and opioids soaked in raw gin.
As at the time of her arrest, 18 litres of the dangerous substance in used paint drums were recovered from her. In her statement, she claimed she started the illicit drug production and distribution in October 2023. Another suspect, Godwin Okon Samuel, 48, was apprehended at Essit Ebum area of Calabar with 39.4kg of cannabis sativa on Tuesday 9th April.
While two suspects, Sani Mohammed, 43, and Christopher Eze, 64, were arrested in Sabon Gari area of Kano on Tuesday 9th April with 900,000 pills of opioid recovered from them, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Owerri-Onitsha road, Imo state on Friday 12th April intercepted a logistics truck with registration number JGB 403XB and recovered 230 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 119kg hidden under household items after a thorough search.
Furthermore, at least 252 kilograms of cannabis were seized during a raid at Ijesa Isu forest, Ekiti State on Saturday 13th April while four suspects: Adamu Umar, 39; Abdullahi A Gimba, 27; Julius Uduakhomu, 28; and Micheal Sunday, 24, were nabbed loading 40kg of same substance to the engine compartment of a gas truck at Agho village, Owan East, Edo state. Two motorcycles used in conveying the consignment to where the gas truck heading to the North was parked, were also recovered.
In Ogun state, a suspect, Ismaila Ogun was arrested on Friday 12th April with 79kg cannabis at Imeko, while 18-year-old Friday Abah was nabbed with 410kg of the same substance when NDLEA operatives raided Obatedo camp, Itaogbolu forest, Akure North LGA, Ondo state.
With the same zeal, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and staff of Gboko Polytechnic, Gboko, Benue State; officers and men of 15 Engineering Field Regiment Nigerian Army, Topo, Badagry Lagos; meat butchers at Odo Eran abattoir, Osogbo, Osun State and WADA advocacy visit to Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, among others.
