NDLEA captured nonagenarian, doctor, couple, others subjected to massive crackdown

Agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have stepped up their nationwide offensive against drug trafficking syndicates.

In the operation, the NDLEA said it arrested a 93-year-old great-grandfather, a 69-year-old doctor, an international drug courier, a couple and several other suspects in coordinated intelligence-led operations in Lagos, Ogun, Abia, Niger, Imo, Edo, Borno and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) states.

The operations also led to the seizure of large consignments of cocaine, skunk (cannabis), codeine syrup and other controlled substances hidden in homes, luxury buses, trucks and commercial shipments, Blueprint.ng reports.

This was contained in a statement on Sunday by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed that one of the most shocking arrests is that of a 93-year-old man, Pa Friday Ahukanna Chigbu, which occurred at his residence in Umuagbaigba, Amavo Nkwogu village, Osisioma Local Government Area (LGA) of Abia State, where officers recovered 7.7 kilograms of skunk.

The 90-year-old admitted to being involved in cannabis use since 1959, claiming he turned it into a business after years of use.

In another high-profile breakthrough, the NDLEA has uncovered an international drug trafficking network involving an Ivorian courier, Gohouri Michael, who was arrested at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport with 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49kg as he attempted to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan via Addis Ababa.

Investigations revealed that he had arrived from Milan in January and had moved between Lagos and Enugu before continuing to Kano, where he had ingested part of the consignment.

He would be promised 5,000 euros once successfully delivered to Italy.

Further intelligence-led investigations revealed a key coordinator behind the network, a 69-year-old medical doctor, Dr. Chudi Daniel Ofomata, who was traced to his residence in Magboro, Obafemi Owode LGA, Ogun State.

He was arrested and later transferred to Kano, with the NDLEA recovering promazepam tablets and promethazine injections from him.

In Niger State, officers arrested a couple, Abdullahi Umar and his wife Adama Umar, after 118 kilograms of skunk was discovered hidden in their kitchen during a search of their home in Lapai LGA.

In Ogun State, three suspects were arrested with 34 kilograms of skunk during a raid in Sango-Ota, while another suspect, Ayoka Akinwale, was intercepted in Imo State with 56.2 kilograms of the same substance along the Onitsha-Owerri road.

Massive kidnappings have also been recorded in other parts of Nigeria.

In Borno state, a trailer was intercepted along the Damaturu. It was found on Maiduguri street carrying over 42,000 Rohypnol tablets, 82,700 milliliters of codeine syrup and 10,000 milliliters of pentazocine injections hidden among spare parts, leading to the arrest of the owner, Eleje Ibeabuchi.

In Lagos, officers intercepted a luxury bus bound for Port Harcourt with 15 kilograms of high-quality cannabis, while another operation in Mushin uncovered 26,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup hidden in a truck bound for Onitsha, resulting in numerous arrests.

A well-known drug outlet known as “Tora Bora” was raided in the FCT, resulting in the arrest of eight suspects and the seizure of 11,516 kilograms of skunk.

Edo State also recorded one of the largest interceptions, where two trucks loaded with cartons of beer were found to be hiding 7,245 kilograms of skunk destined for Abuja.

Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the shipment.

Across operations, the NDLEA has also intensified its War on Drug Abuse (WADA) awareness campaign, conducting awareness programs in schools, car parks and religious youth groups in several states including Lagos, Kano, Kogi, Katsina, Cross River and Osun.

President and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers of all commands for their consistent efforts in balancing drug supply reduction with demand reduction strategies, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks nationwide.