Two major cross-border drug trafficking syndicates have been smashed and six drug kingpins arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The syndicates had members from Adamawa, Anambra, and Lagos states as well as Cameroonians.
The NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, on Sunday, said the group had been under surveillance for several months, being major suppliers of drugs to terror groups operating in Nigeria and Cameroon.
Babafemi said six leaders of the syndicate, identified as Ibrahim Bawuro, Najib Ibrahim, Ibrahim Umar, Nelson Anayo, Ezehi Martin and Adejumo Ishola, have been arrested.
He said, “After months of intelligence gathering and painstaking surveillance, operatives of the NDLEA have smashed two major cross-border drug trafficking syndicates with cocaine and opioids worth billions of naira recovered from them while six leaders of the cartels were arrested in different parts of the country.
“The syndicates, which comprised Nigerians based in Mubi, Adamawa State; Onitsha, Anambra State, and Lagos State as well as Cameroonians came under the NDLEA radar after they were suspected of being major suppliers of drugs to terror groups operating in Nigeria and Cameroon.
“Leaders of the syndicates so far arrested include: Ibrahim Bawuro, Najib Ibrahim, Ibrahim Umar, Nelson Udechukwu Anayo, Ezeh Amaechi Martin and Adejumo Elijah Ishola.
“Intelligence gathered revealed that some psychoactive substances, including tramadol were often sourced by Ibrahim Bawuro and Ibrahim Najib from a notorious drug dealer in Onitsha, Nelson Udechukwu Anayo, and thereafter packed and concealed in vehicles on the premises of Ezeh Amaechi Martin, an associate of Udechukwu.
The duo of Ibrahim Bawuro and Ibrahim Najib would thereafter transport the drugs from Onitsha to Yola and subsequently to other parts of the North and Cameroon in specially constructed false compartments of vehicles, which travel from the East to the North at night.”
Babafemi said on October 7, 2024, Bawuro and Najib were trailed from Onitsha where they had gone to buy another consignment, and eventually arrested in Taraba State the following day. A total of 276,500 pills of tramadol were recovered from a Toyota Avensis saloon car marked DKA 57 TT, which they abandoned on the Jalingo-Yola Expressway when they noticed the NDLEA operatives were on their trail.
“Follow-up operations were subsequently carried out in Delta and Anambra states where Ezeh Amaechi Martin and Udechukwu Nelson Anayo were arrested by operatives of the NDLEA Directorate of Intelligence, which coordinated the whole efforts with their counterparts in Taraba, Adamawa, Delta and Anambra states,” he added.
Babafemi also said another leader of a different syndicate, Adejumo Ishola, on Tuesday, was arrested at the Seme border in Lagos on his way from Ghana with 3.3 kilograms of cocaine and 600 grams of synthetic cannabis.
He said the 37-year-old was arrested following months of intelligence and surveillance on his cross-border criminal activities.
In another operation in Lagos, Babafemi disclosed that operatives in Apapa seaport, Lagos, on November 6, intercepted 31,750,000 pills of 240mg Voltron, a controlled opioid, packaged and concealed in a container imported from India, as diclofenac sodium 100mg tablets.
He added, “The discovery was made during a joint examination of the container with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
“At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport import shed, Ikeja, Lagos, the NDLEA officers on Tuesday, November 5, intercepted a 700 grams consignment of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis. A software engineer, Olu Marshal, who showed up to collect the package was promptly arrested, and a follow-up search of his home in Lekki led to the recovery of some drug paraphernalia, including a cannabis crusher.”
Babafemi also said an attempt by another suspect, Orji Nnaorji, to send 32.50kg bottles of codeine syrup and 5.70kg cannabis to London, UK, concealed in a tiger nuts cargo through the export shed of the Lagos airport was frustrated by operatives on Friday.
“A follow-up operation led to the arrest of Orji at his warehouse in Ajao Estate, Lagos,” he added.
In Kwara State, Babafemi said no fewer than 162,800 pills of opioids were seized by the NDLEA operatives from four suspects during interdiction operations in parts of the state.
Babafemi added, ”112,200 tablets of tramadol were recovered from Wahab Saliu, 18,900 tablets of the same opioid were recovered from Dalha Musa both at the Eiyenkorin area of Ilorin, Kwara State; 29,000 pills of tramadol, 200 ampoules of diazepam and 99 bottles of codeine syrup seized from Ahmed Isiaka, just as 2,500 tabs of tramadol were seized from Ahmed Garba, both at Bode Saadu in Moro Local Government Area of the state on Friday.”
In Abuja, Babafemi said operatives on Thursday intercepted a truck along the Abaji- Kwali Road with 755.50kg of cannabis concealed under empty cartons of noodles.
“The truck driver, Lukman Rasheed, 41, claimed that bags of the psychoactive substance were loaded into the trailer in Ogbese, Ondo State after departing Lagos with only empty cartons of noodles.
“Also in Ondo State, four suspects: Friday Daniel, Patrick Felix, Samuel Agada and Igwe Chukwuka were arrested at Emure Ile with 672kg cannabis sativa, while 513kg of the same substance was seized at the Gbodo camp, Ikun Akoko and a total of 4, 908kg cannabis recovered from a suspect Musibau Kosama at the Alabi Yellow, Ijoka area of Akure, Ondo State, on Wednesday,” he added.
