The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted no fewer than 300,000 pills of Exol-5 in separate raids across Ogun and Katsina states.
The Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
According to him, operatives of the agency arrested a 29-year-old suspect on Wednesday at New Bussa, Niger State, with 150,000 pills of Exol-5, 800 ampoules of pentazocine injection, and 22,000 capsules of tramadol.
Similarly, another suspect, identified simply as Farin Malam, 27, was arrested at the Abuja–Kaduna toll gate while conveying another 150,000 pills of Exol-5 from Lagos to Katsina.
Babafemi further revealed that NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted 27,510 pills of Rohypnol concealed in sachets of alcoholic drinks bound for South Africa.
He said a freight agent and a cab driver linked to the shipment were initially arrested, leading to the subsequent arrest of a 46-year-old mastermind at Oyingbo Market, Lagos, on Oct. 2.
“On the same day, an Italy-based businessman was arrested while attempting to export 3,700 pills of tramadol (225mg) and 2,600 tablets of tapentadol (200mg), hidden in food items to Europe,” he said, adding that the suspect claimed he was trafficking the drugs for a fee of €945.
In Edo State, Babafemi said a raid at Ugbekpe Ekperi in Etsako Central LGA led to the recovery of 47kg of skunk, a strong strain of cannabis.
He also disclosed that two suspects, aged 48 and 52, were arrested in Osun State following the seizure of 635kg of skunk from their Toyota Hiace bus, with two other accomplices apprehended.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives in Rivers State arrested two suspects, aged 20 and 25, in Port Harcourt with 8.5kg of skunk, while another suspect, 46, was nabbed in Katsina with 29.5kg of the same substance.
In Ondo State, 312kg of skunk was recovered from a bush at Ologede Camp, Ogbese, while patrol officers along the Benin–Lagos expressway intercepted two suspects transporting 141.8kg of skunk.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands nationwide intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities across schools, worship centres, and workplaces.
Some of the institutions visited include General Murtala Mohammed College, Yola; Assembly of God Secondary School, Abakaliki; Community Girls Secondary School, Bakori; and Government Secondary School, Borikiri, Port Harcourt.
Others were Day Secondary School, Tungan Mallam, Niger; Sacred Heart Secondary School, Kabba; Ebenezer Model Secondary School, Onitsha; and Baptist High School, Ede, Osun State, among others.
Babafemi quoted NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, as commending officers of the Edo, Rivers, Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Ondo, and Osun commands for their efforts.
Marwa urged them and their counterparts nationwide to sustain their professionalism and commitment in the agency’s ongoing war against drug trafficking and abuse.
