By Editor

•Pregnant woman, fake soldier, others nabbed for drug trafficking A 38-YEAR-OLD pregnant woman, Kate Ngozi Nwuju was on Tuesday 14th September 14, arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), at her residence in Rumueme, Mile 4 area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State with 4.5kilogrammes of cannabis following intelligence that she sells drugs. Her arrest followed nationwide offensive action against drug traffickers in the past week, leading to seizure of hundreds of kilogrammes of illicit substances at airports, courier firms, hideouts and destroying hectares of cannabis farms in the remote forests.

According to a statement by the Director, Media & Advocacy NDLEA headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, yesterday , narcotic officers also thwarted attempts by a female passenger, Isesele Obehi and one Emmanuel Chibuzor Omebere to export illicit drugs to Europe through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by arresting them shortly before they were billed to board the flight.

While Isesele was nabbed on Saturday September 11, 2021 during outward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight at Gate B departure hall of the Lagos airport on her way to Milan, Italy with 312 sachets of Tramadol, weighing 1.5kg, concealed in crayfish and dried vegetables, Chibuzor was caught with 137.45 grammes of same drug concealed in foodstuff at the Abuja airport on Thursday, September 2 during outward clearance of Turkish Airline flight to Istanbul, Turkey.

Similarly, efforts by traffickers to export consignments containing cocaine, heroin and other illicit drugs through courier firms were also foiled.

Some include 475grammes of heroin concealed in food items going to Canada; 202grammes of cocaine hidden in body cream containers going to Australia; 720grammes of Cannabis Sativa tucked in computer hard drives heading to United Arab Emirates, UAE and another 2.1kg of cannabis hidden in body cream bottles going to Oman, while 60grammes of cocaine concealed in degree certificates meant for Australia was also seized, all from three courier firms in Lagos.

Also, one Aliyu Saidu, suspected to be a fake soldier was arrested with 2.3kg of Cannabis Sativa in a commercial bus from Lagos to Makurdi, on Monday 13th of Sept at Aliade checkpoint, Benue State.

In Kano, one Shuaibu Yusuf, was arrested on Friday , September 17, with 537kg of cannabis sativa, concealed among bags of cement in a truck, while in Ogun State, five persons were arrested on Tuesday, September 14, after their truck conveying 552kg cannabis was intercepted at Ogere Remo, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

In a related development, narcotic officers on patrol on Friday, September 17, arrested a 21-year-old Law Ubi at Marian Road, Calabar, Cross River state with 67.4 kg cannabis while a follow up search of his residence the following day, Saturday, led to the recovery of 4.2grammes of Cocaine from his apartment.

In Edo, operatives stormed remote forests in Ovia North East area of the state between 8th and 16th Sept, destroyed over 14 hectares of cannabis farms, and recovered 172.6kg of cannabis. Three female and a male suspects were also arrested in raids across Owan East and Akoko Edo areas of the state. Different quantities of cannabis and local mixtures called monkey tail were recovered from them.

Commending officers and men of the Lagos airport, Abuja airport, Benue, Kano, Ogun, Rivers, Cross River and Edo commands as well as those of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation, DOGI, of the Agency for maintaining the heat on drug dealers, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), said their efforts “further reaffirm our determination that those in this criminal trade will always have the new NDLEA to contend with; whether in their homes, on the streets, at the ports and deep in the forests, we’ll chase them with every legitimate force and smoke them out, up to the last man or woman if they fail to repent.”