By Olaolu Fawole
A 20-year-old hair stylist, Josephine Odunu and a dispatch rider, Edesemi Ikporo, 30, have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, for selling and distributing illicit drug-laced chin-chin to students and at social parties in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.
NDLEA officers on patrol around Opolo area of Yenagoa had on Sunday 10th March 2024 intercepted the motorcycle dispatch rider, Edesemi and recovered 200grams of chin-chin produced with cannabis sativa, which he was on a mission to deliver to a buyer.
According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA on Sunday, a swift follow up operation led to the arrest of the hairdresser, Josephine, who distributed the drugged chin-chin from the salon where she works in Kpansia area of Yenagoa.
A search of the salon also led to the recovery of 3.00kilograms bringing the total weight of the illicit substance seized from the duo to 3.2kg.
Investigations revealed that they distributed the chin-chin often laced with cannabis and tramadol to students and at birthday parties, while Edesemi handled the delivery to buyers, Josephine was a major distributor to a wanted suspect who produces the drugged chin-chin.
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Adamawa state on Wednesday 13th March arrested two wanted suspects: Ajim Samuel (aka Boss), 30, and Davidson John 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 car.
The statement said further that they were nabbed along Numan-Jalingo road. Also recovered from them were 21grams of cannabis and monetary exhibits totaling N19, 280.
In Osun state, a commercial bus driver, Ogunleye Adegoke, 49, was arrested along 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.
Also, 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 on Friday 15th March, 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.
At least, 24kg of cannabis was seized from the driver of a transport company, Ikechukwu Obialo, at Sagamu Interchange, Ogun state by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 13th March, while in Kano, two suspects: Ali Amadu, 27, and Adamu Hassan, 33, were nabbed with a total of 125.3kg cannabis; 3,400 pills of tramadol; and 30 bottles of codeine syrup.
They were arrested on Monday 11th March at Gadar Tamburawa area, and Friday 15th March at Tsamiya Babba, Hotoro respectively.
While 118 kilograms of cannabis were recovered from a warehouse in Masaka area of Nasarawa state on Saturday 16th March, NDLEA operatives in Edo state on Thursday 14th March arrested a suspect, Kole Samuel, 50, with 75kg 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 kilograms of cannabis on 1.577683 hectares of farmland.
While commending the officers and men of the Bayelsa, Adamawa, Osun, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Edo, Kano, and Ogun Commands of the Agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) 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.
