Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted no fewer than 2,684,900 pills of tramadol and seized other pharmaceutical opioids during interdiction operations in some states in the past week.
Mr Femi Babafemi, spokesman for NDLEA, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said a total of 250,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 as well as 1800ml of codeine neatly concealed in the reserve fuel tank of a trailer from Onitsha, Anambra, were seized in Mubi, Adamawa.
He said a dealer, Hussaini Ibrahim (a.k.a Bafu), was arrested in connection with the seized drugs.
He also said a total of 279,000 pills of tramadol 200mg and 225mg was recovered from a suspect, Hammajan Suleman, along Okene-Abuja highway in Kogi, on Mon. Feb. 13.
He added that 376 blocks of skunk weighing 229.36kgs and a Toyota Camry car used in conveying the consignment from Edo enroute Kano by another suspect, Moses Alabi were handed over to NDLEA.
This, he said, was done by a patrol team of the Nigerian Army in Lokoja on Tuesday Feb. 14.
In the same vein, two suspects: Christian Nnachor, 23 and Chinonso Obiora, 20, were arrested with 1,843,900 tablets of Diazepam and 300,000 pills of Exol-5 by soldiers along Abuja-Kaduna express road.
Babafemi said they were transferred to the Kaduna State Command of NDLEA on Monday Feb. 13, while Christopher Maduka, 43, was arrested with 10,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection on Saturday Feb. 18, along Abuja-Kaduna highway.
“In Kano, Ahmed Suraj Rabiu was nabbed with 89 bottles of codeine syrup in Badawa area of the state, while Amadu Musa and three others were arrested in Kofar Mata with 53 blocks of cannabis weighing 41.9kgs.
“In Niger, a trans-border trafficker, Abdullahi Isah, was arrested along Jebba-Mokwa highway with 188 blocks of skunk that weighed 107 kilograms, which he was attempting to take to Niger Republic.
“24kgs of Arizona variant of cannabis and 2,000 pills of opioids were recovered from Ibrahim Isiyaku along Nguru- Kano road in Yobe,” he said.
Babafemi said no fewer than four suspects: Usman Abubakar, a Chadian; Muhammad Ali; Ibrahim Yahaya and Babagana Abdullahi were arrested for drug trafficking.
He said the suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 61.45kgs of cannabis and 22.1kgs of exol-5 in Jigawa with follow up operations in Kano.
“The consignments were ordered by Usman with a view to taking them to Chad,” he said. (NAN)
