NDLEA nabs suspects with three truckloads of codeine syrup, pills

At Abule Ado, in the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has seized three truckloads of opioids, totaling 3,450,000 pills and 344,000 bottles of codeine syrup.

Three individuals were detained in relation to the event on Thursday, according to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, who also confirmed the narcotics seizure.

The statement said, in part, that the multibillion-naira consignments were loaded at the AML bonded terminal, Abule-Osun, near the International Trade Fair complex, into two 40-foot container trucks and another 20-foot truck. They then travelled to a large warehouse at Abule-Ado, where on Thursday, May 9, 2024, the NDLEA officers arrested the suspects and recovered the opioid consignments.

Babafemi also disclosed that on Friday, during a raid in Oke-asa village, Ijero-Ekiti, a 75-year-old grandfather named Jibril Audu was taken into custody with 7.5 kilogrammes of cannabis. On Thursday, during a raid at Achusa, along the International Market Road, Makurdi, Benue State, a 70-year-old grandmother named Tikwase Nytor was apprehended with 15.6 kilogrammes of the same substance.

In a separate operation on Tuesday, NDLEA agents detained Nwankwo Ejike as a suspect in the Coker neighbourhood of Lagos. From him, they seized 100 litres of codeine syrup, and that same day, they also took possession of 60 litres from Clinton Akinye.

"Not less than 37.5 kg of cannabis sativa loaded in a Toyota Camry was recovered from another suspect, Adegbola Segun, 47," the statement continued. "On Monday, May 6, the car was intercepted at the Mile 12 area of Lagos."

"On Monday, May 6, along Mubi-Yola Road, Adamawa State, NDLEA officers seized another shipment of opioids being carried across the border to Garua, Cameroon. The consignment included 59,106 tramadol tablets and various quantities of codeine syrup and Rohypnol.

"Two individuals connected to the narcotics were caught right away: Abubakar Auwal, 39, and Adamu Abubakar, 25, also known as Bamanga, a trans-border trafficker who was supposed to transport the cargo from Mubi to Cameroon.”

A suspect, Itah Nyong, was arrested during the overnight operation, and a total of 11, 636.185 kg of cannabis were destroyed on three farms measuring 4.654474 hectares. Additionally, 188 kg of the same psychoactive substance was recovered. On Saturday, NDLEA officials in Edo State were reported to have raided the Iguiye forest in the Ovia North East Local Government Area.