Michael Olugbode in Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 20-year-old hair stylist, Josephine Odunu, and a 30-year-old dispatch rider, Edesemi Ikporo, for selling and distributing illicit drug-laced ‘chin-chin’ to school students and at social parties in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
A statement issued by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, said NDLEA officers on patrol around Opolo area of Yenagoa had on March 10 intercepted the motorcycle dispatch rider, Edesemi, and recovered 200 grammes of chin-chin produced with cannabis sativa, which he was on a mission to deliver to a buyer.
He said a swift follow up operation led to the arrest of the hairdresser, Josephine, who distributes the drugged chin-chin from the salon where she works in Kpansia area of Yenagoa, and the search of the salon led to the recovery of three kilogrammes bringing the total weight of the illicit substance seized from the duo to 3.2 kilogrammes
He said investigations revealed that they distributed the chin-chin often laced with cannabis and tramadol to students and at birthday parties, with Edesemi handling the delivery to buyers, while Josephine is a major distributor to a wanted suspect who produced the drugged chin-chin.
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Adamawa State last Wednesday arrested two wanted suspects: Ajim Samuel (aka Boss), 30, and Davidson Joshua (aka Dantala), 36, while on their way from Onitsha, Anambra State, where they had gone to buy a consignment of tramadol containing 14,428 pills of the opioid which they tucked in the body compartments of their black Honda Civic car marked YLA 623 SL. They were nabbed on Numan-Jalingo road, recovered from them were 21 grammes of cannabis and monetary exhibits totaling N19,280.
In Osun State, commercial bus driver, Ogunleye Adegoke, 49, was arrested on Gbongan-Ibadan road after NDLEA operatives discovered 2,000 capsules of tramadol, 60 tablets of rohypnol and 10 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in the spare tyre compartment of his vehicle. While a total of 343,000 pills of opioids were seized by NDLEA officers from a suspect, Lawan Abubakar, 33, in Azare town, Katagum, Bauchi State last Friday, same day, the Nigerian Army transferred a suspect, Muhammadu Rabi’u, 37, with 64,000 pills of tramadol recovered from him to the Bauchi State Command of NDLEA.
He said at least 24 kilogrammes of cannabis was seized from the driver of a transport company, Ikechukwu Obialo, at Sagamu Interchange, Ogun State by NDLEA operatives last Wednesday, while in Kano, two suspects: Ali Amadu, 27, and Adamu Hassan, 33, were nabbed with a total of 125.3 kilogrammes cannabis; 3,400 pills of tramadol, and 30 bottles of codeine syrup. They were arrested last Monday at Gadar Tamburawa area, and last Friday at Tsamiya Babba, Hotoro respectively.
Babafemi revealed that 118 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered from a warehouse in Masaka area of Nasarawa State last Saturday, NDLEA operatives in Edo State Command last Thursday arrested a suspect, Kole Samuel, 50, with 75 kilogrammes of same psychoactive substance at market area, Otuo, Owan East LGA. Same day, operatives raided the Oloma-Okpe forest in Akoko Edo LGA where they destroyed 3,944.2075 kilogrammes of cannabis on 1.577683 hectares of farmland.
He said with the same vigour, the various Commands of the agency across the country continued the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign in the past week.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd) while commending the officers and men of the Bayelsa, Adamawa, Osun, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Edo, Kano, and Ogun States Commands of the agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, and equally applauded their counterparts in all the Commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures thus creating a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
