THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on illicit drugs, intercepting more than 1.6 tonnes of cannabis in separate operations across Ondo, Kaduna and Bayelsa states.
In Ondo State, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence on Wednesday, 9 September, raided a residence along Oke-Iya, Ijoka Road, Akure, where they recovered 186kg of skunk concealed in the boot of a Toyota Avalon car marked ABJ 917 FV.
A 58-year-old suspect, Paul Ogbuwala, was arrested at the scene. He was reportedly planning to transport the consignment to Jos for onward distribution.
In Kaduna State, operatives arrested a female suspect, Hannah Michael, at Gonin Gora with 369.6kg of cannabis.
Meanwhile, in Bayelsa State, four suspects were arrested at Ovom, Yenagoa, with 110 bags of cannabis weighing 876kg.
The suspects were identified as 70-year-old Godwoman Gboriye, 44-year-old Motombo Silver, 39-year-old Pere Andrew and 43-year-old Keme Andrew.
Beyond enforcement operations, NDLEA Commands and formations across the country also sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities during the past week.
The activities included a WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Mezube Islamiyya Academy, Tudun Wada, Kano; a WADA advocacy visit to the management of Cross River State College of Health Technology, Calabar; and a visit by Rikkos traditional rulers to the NDLEA Academy in Jos to express appreciation for allowing community members to use the Agency’s clinic.
The Zone 4 Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Emir of Keffi, Alhaji Shehu Chindo Yamusa III, in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
Commending the officers and men of the Directorate of General Investigation (DOGI), Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), and the Ondo, Edo, Delta, Kaduna, Plateau, Bayelsa and Kano Commands for their successful operations, the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged them to sustain the Agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
Marwa charged NDLEA personnel across the country to continue shutting down pipelines being used by drug cartels, whether at airports, seaports, land borders or in the hinterland where cannabis is cultivated.
He said sustained enforcement and preventive measures remained essential to disrupting the activities of drug traffickers and curbing the circulation of illicit substances across the country.
Correct the cannabis total in my headline
Clarify the arrests across three states
Make the opening more newsworthy
