The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced on Sunday that it successfully thwarted a drug consignment intended for delivery to bandits in Zamfara and Kebbi states.
Simultaneously, a Qatar-based businessman, Agu Evidence Amobi, and another individual, Uchegbu Onyebuchi Obi, were apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos for trafficking psychoactive substances.
Yusuf Yahaya, a 45-year-old man, was arrested on Christmas Eve along the Lagos-Ilorin expressway, found in possession of 31.00kg of compressed cannabis en route from Ibadan, Oyo State, to Kebbi State.
Preliminary investigations revealed his involvement in supplying illicit drugs to bandits in the Kebbi and Zamfara axis.
Amobi, claiming to have resided and worked in Doha, Qatar, for over 10 years, was caught at the MMIA with 1.30kg of cannabis sativa concealed in a bag of foodstuff.
He alleged purchasing the substance in Enugu for delivery in Doha, citing financial pressures to cover rent in Doha, Nigeria, and school fees for his three children.
In the same vein, at the domestic wing of the airport, NDLEA operatives intercepted a consignment of 72,000 pills of tramadol 250mg, weighing 38.50kg, intended for shipment to Kano.
Uchegbu Onyebuchi Obi, the suspect, was apprehended in connection with this consignment.
Other arrests made last week included the interception of cannabis sativa weighing 15.7kg and 128,500 pills of opioids in Yobe state, leading to the arrest of Ali Ibrahim (aka Ramos) as the actual owner.
Additionally, in Imo state, NDLEA operatives intercepted a commercial bus with 400 bottles of codeine syrup and 7,590 pills of opioids, while in Kano, David Michael was arrested with 49 blocks of cannabis, and Umar Abdullahi was nabbed with 27,350 pills of opioids.
The agency continues its relentless efforts to combat drug trafficking and related crimes.