A Peugeot J5 vehicle coming from Onitsha enroute Kaduna-Zaria with 18 pieces of pump action rifles and 1,300 cartridges was on Saturday intercepted by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives on patrol along the Okene-Abuja expressway.
A statement on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, the agency spokesman, explained that Anthony Agada, 37, conveying 1,000 cartridges, was nabbed in a bus coming from Onitsha to Abuja on the same day, two suspects conveying the arms and ammunition, Chukwudi Aronu, 51, and Shuaibu Gambo, 23, were also apprehended.
The statement further explained, “1,404 bottles of codeine syrup and 2,040 ampoules of pentazocine injection were seized from another vehicle coming from Onitsha enroute Sokoto, with the receiver, Stanley Raymond, 39, and the sender, Shadrack Ifediora, 46, arrested in follow up operations in Sokoto and Anambra States respectively.”
The statement stated that in Kaduna, a drug dealer, Mohammed Dalhatu a.k.a Dawa, was arrested at Sabon Gari Zaria with eight bags of cannabis sativa weighing 67 kg, and another, Maikudi Hassan, was arrested at Gubuci village of Ikara LGA with five bags of cannabis weighing 54.2 kg.
It added that on Thursday 15th September, operatives also apprehended Mary Ugwu and Hawwa Idi, at Anchau town, Kubau Local Government Area, with 721 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 37,000 tablets of exol-5, and nine ampoules of diazepam injection as well as 6.8kg of rubber solution.
In Edo, the statement explained that operatives recovered 972.5kg cannabis substance was recovered from an electronic shop at Alaba Int’l market in Lagos, with one of the suspects, Mrs Ebere Aja, 38, and 285 kg cannabis in two raids at Okpuje, Owan West local government area, on Friday, September 16 were arrested.
According to the statement, no less than 335.1kg of cannabis was seized in a raid at Kwanar Kundum area of Bauchi town, with two suspects, Usman Garba and Najib Ibrahim, arrested.
The Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), the statement explained, has directed the Kogi State Command of the anti-narcotics agency to immediately hand over the arms and ammunition seized to the police for further investigation.