NDLEA Destroys 3,003kg Skunk in Edo Forest, Seizes 76.9kg Loud at Onne Port
...Recovers 390kg Illicit Drugs During Raids in 4 States
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it has set ablaze 231 jumbo bags of skunk discovered in a large warehouse located at a forest in Iwe community, Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State.
The operation involving hundreds of well-armed NDLEA operatives in the early hours of Tuesday, May 30, followed intelligence that a wanted drug kingpin had stored tonnes of the illicit substance in the forest for distribution to other parts of the country.
The destroyed psychotropic substance weighed 3,003 kilograms, according to a statement issued by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi on Sunday.
Also, the anti-narcotic agency, during a joint examination with men of the Nigeria Customs Service at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, between Thursday, June 1 and Friday, June 2, 2023, seized 76.9 kilograms of Canadian Loud.
The synthetic strain of cannabis were recovered from four used vehicles in a container marked MSDU6686346 which came in from Canada.
The NDLEA spokesperson explained that the request for 100 per cent examination of the shipment followed earlier intelligence received by the Agency on the container.
The statement further read: “In Kano state, two suspects: Ma’aruf Rabiu and Abubakar Mustapha were arrested on Tuesday 30th May along Zaria-Kano road with 260 blocks of cannabis weighing 139.4kg, while Auwal Ibrahim was nabbed with 38kg of the same substance the following day Wednesday 31st May along Kaduna-Abuja road, same day 35-year-old female suspect, Bilkisu Isiya, was arrested at Birnin Yero, Kaduna in possession of 5.6kg cannabis.
“In Borno state, two suspects: Abubakar Usman (aka Alhaji Mai Kero) and Adamu Yusuf were arrested at Bargu village, Shani LGA, on Saturday 3rd June with 165 blocks of skunk weighing 140.7kg. Their arrest was effected deep inside a fluid insurgents’ environment with military support.
“A female suspect, Hauwa Ibrahim, 25, was also nabbed in the same village with 6.4kg of the psychoactive substance, while another suspect Alhaji Abubakar, 27, was arrested at Njimtilo checkpoint with 4,200 ampoules of pentazocine injection and different quantities of D5 and exol-5 tablets.
“A 30-year-old suspect, Iroko Wasiu was arrested at a drug joint at Sabo Aba-Owolowo along Oyo-Ogbomoso expressway on Tuesday 30th May and 31.2kg of cannabis recovered from him, while two suspects: Deji Adelabu, 35, and Mutiu Salau, 37, were nabbed the following day Wednesday 31st May in Sabo area along Oyo- Ogbomoso road and Awuro Dada area in Orire local government area of Oyo state with a total of 8kg cannabis recovered from them”.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of Commands for their commitment and synergy with other law enforcement agencies in their areas of responsibility.
He urged them and their compatriots across the country to intensify the offensive action against drug cartels while ensuring a balance with drug demand reduction efforts.
