As the countdown to the new year approached its final hours, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) took swift action at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos.
In a significant interception, Qatar-based businessman Agu Evidence Amobi and Uchegbu Onyebuchi Obi were apprehended with psychoactive substances.
Amobi's arrest unfolded on Saturday, December 30th, at the departure point of terminal 2 of MMIA. Attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha, he was found with 1.30kg of cannabis sativa concealed in a bag of foodstuff. Amobi claimed to have been residing and working in Doha for over a decade, stating that he purchased the substance in Enugu to deliver in Doha to meet financial obligations such as rent in Doha and Nigeria and school fees for his three children.
Simultaneously, NDLEA operatives at the airport's domestic wing seized a carton containing 72,000 pills of tramadol 250mg, weighing 38.50kg. Uchegbu Onyebuchi Obi was arrested on the same day in connection with the tramadol consignment, intending to ship it to Kano on a local flight.
Prior to these airport incidents, on Christmas day in Yobe state, NDLEA officers patrolling along Nguru-Gashua road intercepted Musa Sani, Mohammed Ibrahim, and Adamu Usman in a truck carrying 39 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 15.7kg and 128,500 pills of opioids. Subsequent operations on December 26th led to the arrest of the cannabis consignment's owner, Ali Ibrahim (a.k.a Ramos), in Geidam. His residence yielded an additional 208 blocks of the substance, totaling 247 blocks weighing 94.74kg. Mustapha Goni (a.k.a Lolo), the owner of the seized opioids, was also arrested.
Further afield, in Imo state on Christmas Eve, NDLEA operatives patrolling along Owerri - Onitsha expressway intercepted a commercial bus driven by Peter Orji, 42. The bus was found to be carrying 400 bottles of codeine syrup and 7,590 pills of opioids, including tramadol 225mg. The destination of the bus was Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
These recent operations underscore the NDLEA's commitment to curbing the illicit drug trade and its associated activities, particularly during the festive season. As the year comes to a close, the agency remains vigilant in its efforts to safeguard communities from the detrimental effects of drug trafficking and abuse.
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