THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency – NDLEA, says it has intercepted 122,900 tramadol pills and Exol-5 in Bauchi, Kano and Benue States.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who made this known on Sunday in Abuja, said that 87,000 tramadol pills were recovered from a suspect, Tony Ogbonna, 40, at Yelwa area of Bauchi, on June 17.
Babafemi added that 13,800 tramadol pills abandoned by a suspect going to Geidam in Yobe, were also recovered at Yankaba Park, Kano on June, 14.
The NDLEA spokesman said that on the same day in Benue, a suspect, Chidera Gabriel was arrested with 22,100 pills of the same pharmaceutical opioid at a checkpoint in Vandeikya.
He disclosed that officers of the Agency in Kaduna have arrested a female Pharmacist, Ikwebe Ori.
Ori’s arrest followed her attempt to allegedly use forged documents to purchase and distribute six cartons of pentazocine injection with 2,000 ampules.
“She confessed she used fake documents from a Kaduna hospital to order the drug, which she planned to distribute in Kaduna, Abuja and Sokoto.
“The consignment was initially intercepted at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja while being sent to Kaduna by a freight agent,” Babafemi said.
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Niger have seized a total of 1,072 kilograms of cannabis in two raids.
“Four suspects: Aminu Mohammed, 50; Nasiru Mohammed, 30; Rabiu Haruna, 29, and Hamza Abubakar, 18 were arrested,” Babfemi said in a statement.
According to him, on June 16, operatives intercepted a Mercedes 1422 truck marked MKD 116 ZM on its way from Umunede, Delta with gallons of palm oil to be delivered at Garki market in Abuja.
“However, the truck driver, Jekwe Udenze, 38, along with his two assistants: Gabriel Nzekwube, 43, and Chima Uzoma, 42, stopped over at Uromi, Edo.
“They loaded 19 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 346 kg, to be delivered at Dumez Luxury Park along Kaduna road, Suleja to one Ignatius Mokwe, 47.
“Both the driver and his two assistants as well as the owner of the illicit consignment, Ignatius Mokwe have been arrested,” he said.