TheCable

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has intercepted 11.5kg of skunk, made from unpollinated cannabis plants, in Lagos.

According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, the substance was discovered in a giant sculpture at a courier company in the state.

“At the Lagos airport, a freight agent, Ogunsina Damilare, was arrested on Friday, January 6, following a bid to export 1.5 kilograms of skunk hidden in foodstuffs to Dubai, UAE, through the SAHCO export shed of the MMIA,” he said.

“A similar attempt to ship 11.5kgs of the same substance to the United Kingdom was frustrated when the consignment concealed in a giant wooden sculpture was intercepted by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI) at a courier company in Lagos. Curiously, the latter emanated from Ghana with London as destination.”

Babafemi also said the agency intercepted a shipment of 24.5kg cannabis indica to Nigeria from Montreal, Canada, at the Tincan port in Lagos.

He added that an N8 million bribe offered NDLEA officers by the importer has been secured in an account for the prosecution of the case.

“While the importer, Cedrick Maduweke, is still at large, one of his accomplices, Steve Isioma Adigwe, has been arrested. The consignment was hidden in a used Toyota Sienna vehicle that arrived the port along with three other cars in a container marked MSMU 5082733,” the statement reads.

“In Kano, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, January 7, intercepted Kabiru Abdulhamid, 40, with 119 blocks of C/S weighing 73kgs at Semugu area, while a total of 28,400 tablets of tramadol and over 230kgs of cannabis were seized in raid operations in Festac town and Lagos Island areas of Lagos state. Some of the suspects arrested in the Lagos raids include: Rukayyat Eshinlokun; Pelumi Alejo and Banna Maina who specialises in distribution of illicit drugs disguised as a dispatch rider.

“In Imo state, a suspect, Amechi Moses, was arrested in a follow up operation on Friday, January 6, following the interception of 29, 800 tablets of Tramadol 225mg in a commercial bus along Owerri-Onitsha road going to Aba in Abia state.”

The statement said Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman, commended the officers for the arrests and seizures, asking them to intensify the heat on drug cartels in Nigeria.