NDLEA arrests Sokoto village head, others over 991,320 opioid pills

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested one Abubakar Ibrahim, the village head of Gidan Abba, Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto, with 10 others over 991,320 pills of pharmaceutical opioids.

A statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja, said 1,251kgs of cannabis and Khat were recovered.

Babafemi said that the suspect,  Ibrahim, 38, was arrested in Bodinga town with 3kgs of cannabis sativa and 4,000 tablets of exol-5.

He said that NDLEA operatives attached to Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) import shed of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos, also intercepted 15 cartons.

According to Babafemi, the cartons which were intercepted on Oct. 26, contained 802,000 pills of Tramadol, imported from Dubai, UAE and Karachi, Pakistan.

He also said that 10 cartons of Tramadol 225mg, came in from Dubai on Ethiopian Airlines flight.

The NDLEA Director for Media and Advocacy, added that four cartons of 100mg and a carton of 225mg Tramadol came from Karachi, Pakistan on another Ethiopian Airlines flight.

According to him, on the same day, operatives at the SAHCO export shed intercepted cans of tomato paste going to the United Kingdom.

“A thorough search of the consignment revealed that the tomato cans were used to conceal 36 pellets of cannabis.

“This was with a gross weight of 21.30 kilograms, while a cargo agent, Sodehinde Akinwale, has also been arrested in connection with the seizure.

“Two days after, Oct. 25, operatives attached to the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) import shed of the Lagos airport, also seized five cartons of dried khat leaves.

“This was also weighing 107.70kgs that came in from Bangkok, Thailand, through Dubai on an Emirates Airline flight, ” he said.

Babafemi said that a follow-up operation on the seizure of 11.90kgs Meth concealed in the heads of dried fish going to Dubai, UAE on August 5, had also  led to the arrest of a 30-year-old bricklayer, Babatunde Mamowora.

He said that the suspect was arrested on Oct. 27 in Sango Ota area of Ogun, in collaboration with men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the area. (NAN) (