A joint operation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the state Homeland Security in Abia has led to the arrest of a lawyer known as Adaobi, along with four others, during a raid on suspected criminal hideouts.
Revealing details during a press briefing in Umuahia, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Homeland Security, Mr. Chukwunenye Alajemba, disclosed that the raid targeted Adaobi’s residence in Umuahia, where she allegedly operated as a drug lord for decades.
Vanguard quoted Mr. Alajemba as saying, “On February 14, before midnight, the Office of the Homeland Security, in collaboration with NDLEA personnel, conducted a successful joint operation on the premises of Adaobi at Arochukwu Street Umuahia.”
The operation yielded a significant haul of illegal substances, including cocaine, cannabis, heroin, and methamphetamine, alongside a substantial cash sum exceeding N500,000.
Seized items included 321 sachets of dry weed, 314 wraps of loud, 105 grams of cocaine, 37.8 grams of heroin, and 129 grams of methamphetamine, totaling approximately 1.217 kilograms of contraband substances.
In addition to the successful bust at Adaobi’s residence, the joint team also targeted a notorious criminal hideout in Umuahia known as Down Below, apprehending several suspects and confiscating further quantities of narcotics.
Deputy Governor Ikechukwu Emetu stressed the administration’s commitment to eradicating criminal activity, citing recent successes in curbing kidnapping around the Lokpa area.
He issued a stern warning to drug peddlers, declaring Abia State inhospitable to criminal elements and urging them to vacate the state immediately.
“Abia is not a safe place for any criminal. If you are a drug kingpin, stay away from Abia. We don’t need you. You are not part of the development of Abia State. Drugs can’t develop the state.
“Those selling drugs in our local governments, time to leave Abia is now because if we come for you, nobody will be able to save you,” Emetu declared.
