Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a 24-year-old pregnant woman, Rabetu Abdulrasak, and a cripple, Shehu Adams, with assorted illicit drugs in Agbede, Etsako West, Edo State.
Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, added that a Lekki Lagos-based businessman, Cyril Chidiebere, was arrested on April 14 with two of his freight agents, Mejabi Sunday and Oyeyinka Babatunde, over the importation of illicit cargo from the United States of America.
WITHIN NIGERIA had reported that the NDLEA operatives had discovered consignments of Tramadol, Rohypnol, Ecstasy (designer drug), and Cannabis concealed inside winter coats and body cream bottles at the Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Friday.
The psychoactive substances were recovered at the new terminal of the airport on April 14, following the arrest of a passenger, Joshia Sunday, who was travelling on a Qatar Airline flight via Doha to Oman, Middle East.
Babafemi said a thorough search of the suspect’s two black bags led to the discovery of 4.80 kilograms of cannabis concealed in three winter jackets and various quantities of Tramadol, Rohypnol, Ecstasy (designer drug) hidden in bottles of body lotion.
He said: “Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect came into Nigeria from Oman on April 7 and was returning exactly a week after.
“In the same vein, a Lekki Lagos-based businessman, Cyril Chidiebere, was on April 14, arrested with two of his freight agents: Mejabi Sunday and Oyeyinka Babatunde, over their involvement in the importation of 12 parcels of loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 6.50kg, which was part of a consolidated cargo brought in from the United States of America.
“The arrest and seizure followed a three-day intelligence-led operation.
“Following the arrival of the cargo at the NAHCO import shed of the MMIA, its movement out of the airport was closely monitored in a sting operation until the actual importer, Cyril Chidiebere, was arrested in his house at Abraham Adesanya Estate, Ajah, Lekki area of Lagos.
“Both Mejabi and Chidiebere have made useful statements to confirm that the latter had been involved in dealing on illicit drugs in the past.
“Meanwhile, a pregnant woman, Rabetu Abdulrasak, 24, and a cripple, Shehu Adams, have been arrested by NDLEA operatives in Agbede, Etsako West LGA, Edo State, while over 14 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs including cannabis, methamphetamine, tramadol and swinol were recovered from them on April 15.
“A 22-year-old HND 1 female student of Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, Isoyo Susan, was April 14, arrested opposite 2nd Gate of the institution for dealing in illicit drugs. Recovered from her include 1,100ML of codeine-based cough syrup and 283 grams of cannabis.
“This is just as operatives in Lagos arrested two suspects: Nonso Peter, 21, and Bright Chibike, 23, with 43.4kg of cannabis at Ile-Epo, Abule Egba area of the state on April 14.
“In Katsina State, no fewer than 1,730 bottles of codeine-based syrup were seized from a suspect, Bishir Saadu, in Katsina metropolis on April 9, just as Muhamadu Yusuf was also arrested same day with 8,000 capsules of tramadol inside a commercial bus along Kano-Katsina road.”