TheCable

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has seized cocaine worth N264 million in separate operations in Kogi and Abuja.

Two suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure.

In a statement on Wednesday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the suspects — identified as Emeka Okoro and Ibrahim Bello — were arrested with cocaine weighing a total of 1.1 kilogrammes, which has a street value of N264 million.

Okoro was said to have been intercepted with 900 grammes of cocaine in a commercial bus along the Abuja-Gwagwalada road, while Bello was reportedly nabbed with 200 grammes in Zube area of the federal capital territory (FCT).

Mohammed Sokoto, the FCT commander of the agency, in the statement, said Okoro intended to travel to Libya through Kano and Niger Republic.

“The wraps of cocaine were not to be swallowed as has always been the case, but to be concealed in jerrycans of palm oil and transported through the border in Kano to Agadez and Libya. The suspect, Emeka Okoro, revealed that this has been the trend in the past months,” Babafemi said.

In a related development, the Kogi state command of the NDLEA also apprehended a 43-year-old suspect with 157.5 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in false panels in a Peugeot J5 bus with registration number “Lagos AGL 641 XW”.

Adewunmi Alfred, Kogi commander of the agency, said the suspect and his consignment were intercepted at a patrol point in Lokoja, the state capital.

“The skunk was sourced from Ikire in Osun state and heading to Masaka in Nasarawa state before our men arrested the suspect, seized the illicit drug and the vehicle used to convey it on Monday, 26th April,” he said.

Reacting to the development, Buba Marwa, the NDLEA chairman, commended the officers for their vigilance and commitment to the task of ridding the country of illicit drugs.

“These seizures and arrest in FCT and Kogi point to the fact that we’ll continue to disrupt and dismantle the drug supply networks of these unconscionable elements and deny them the benefit of their illegal trade,” Marwa said.