NDLEA nabs Qatar-based businessman, others over drug trafficking

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says its operatives have intercepted a Qatar-based businessman, Agu Evidence Amobi, and one other, Uchegbu Onyebuchi Obi, with consignments of psychoactive substances at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.

NDLEA said Amobi was arrested on Saturday, December 30, at the departure point of terminal 2 of the MMIA on his way to Doha, Qatar on a Qatar Airways flight, while Obi was taken into custody same day following the seizure of a consignment of 72,000 pills of tramadol 225mg, which he attempted shipping to Kano on a local flight.

According to the agency, Amobi was caught with 1.30kg cannabis sativa concealed in a bag of foodstuff, claiming he bought the substance in Enugu to deliver in Doha to enable him raise enough funds to pay his rents in Doha and Nigeria and school fees of his three children.

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This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy.

Babafemi said the NDLEA operatives also at the domestic wing of the airport intercepted a carton containing a total of 72,000 pills of tramadol 250mg with a gross weight of 38.50kg.

The spokesman said the interception was closely followed with the arrest of Uchegbu Onyebuchi Obi, who brought the consignment to the airport for shipment to Kano.

According to the statement, the NDLEA officers on patrol along Nguru-Gashua road, on Christmas day in Yobe State intercepted the trio of Musa Sani, Mohammed Ibrahim and Adamu Usman in truck conveying 39 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 15.7kg and 128,500 pills of opioids.

“Follow up operations the following day 26th December led to the arrest of the actual owner of the cannabis consignment, Ali Ibrahim (a.k.a Ramos) in Geidam where additional 208 blocks of the same substance were recovered from his house, bringing the total to 247 blocks weighing 94.74kg, while the owner of the seized opioids, Mustapha Goni (a.k.a Lolo) was equally arrested,” Babafemi added.

He announced also that “in Imo state, NDLEA operatives on Christmas eve, Sunday, December 24, while on patrol along Owerri – Onitsha expressway, intercepted a commercial bus driven by Peter Orji, 42, with 400 bottles of codeine syrup; 7, 590 pills of opioids including tramadol 225mg heading to Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

“While David Michael, 52, was arrested at Unguwa Ukku area of Kano on Sunday, December 24, with 49 blocks of cannabis weighing 42.6kg, Umar Abdullahi, 27, was nabbed with 27, 350 pills of opioids at Gadar Tamburawa area of the city same day. This is even as 45-year-old Yusuf Yahaya was arrested same Christmas eve along Lagos-Ilorin expressway with 31.00kg of compressed cannabis in a commercial bus coming from Ibadan, Oyo State, to Kebbi State. Preliminary investigation revealed that he supplies illicit drugs to bandits in Kebbi and Zamfara axis.”

Reacting to the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the efforts of the officers and men of MMIA, Yobe, Kano, Kwara and Imo Commands of the Agency for jobs well done in the past week.

Marwa tasked them and their compatriots nationwide not to rest on the achievements of 2023 but continue to raise the bar in their offensive action against drug barons and cartels.