NDLEA Arrests 70-year-old Nigerien Bandits’ Drug Supplier

NDLEA Arrests 70-year-old Nigerien Bandits’ Drug Supplier

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

A 70-year-old Nigerien drug trafficker, Mohammed Wada, who allegedly supplied illicit substances to Boko Haram and bandits, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The agency disclosed this in a statement its Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi issued yesterday.
The agency said Wada, who hails from Dallawa town, state of Agadez, Niger Republic, was arrested on Thursday with 10 pallets of skunk in Jebba, Niger State.

The statement said the suspect had brought into Nigeria hides and skin from Niger Republic to sell in Lagos.
During interrogation, according to the statement, the suspect claimed he sold his goods for N300,000 in Lagos and used the fund to buy 10 pallets of skunk at N25,000 each.

The statement explained that the suspect was on his way back to Niger Republic through the North West where he sold drugs to bandits when he was intercepted in Jebba.

Quoted in the statement, the Commander, Niger State Command of the NDLEA, Aloye Isaac, said the arrest is a further confirmation of the nexus between drug abuse and the security challenges in parts of the country.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in an operation backed by soldiers in Ondo State have identified and destroyed three large cannabis farms measuring in 95 hectares, located at Ogbese forest.

The Ondo state Commander of the agency, Haruna Gagara said although no one was arrested during the operation, investigation has since commenced to identify and apprehend the owners of the farms.

In a related development, operatives of the agency in Kogi State have intercepted and seized 116.1 kilogrammes of cannabis at a patrol point along Okene-Lokoja expressway.
A suspect, Sulaiman Said, who was arrested with the illicit drug, claimed he got them from Edo State and was heading to Kaduna State.

Kogi State Commander of NDLEA, Alfred Adewumi said the drug was concealed in sacks of chicken wastes loaded in a Mercedes-Benz 814 Truck with registration number: Taraba XA 366 ARD.

Speaking on the operations in Niger, Ondo and Kogi states, Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa commended the commanders, men and officers of the three commands for their commitment and unrelenting efforts to rid their areas of illicit drugs.

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