The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 380 rounds of military-grade ammunition in Kaduna State and arrested several suspects linked to the possession of more than 1.2 tonnes of cannabis during a series of operations across Nigeria.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Highway at Jere on May 24 arrested 30-year-old Sunusi Musa while allegedly transporting 380 rounds of 7.62mm military-grade ammunition to Katsina State.
The agency said the suspect and the recovered ammunition have been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation and action.
In a separate operation in Kaduna, NDLEA officers arrested Musa Sunday, Mercy Sunday and 38-year-old Salomi Ezekiel after recovering 100 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 1,246 kilograms from a residence in the Gonin Gora area.
The agency also uncovered illicit drugs concealed in water purifier machines shipped from the Netherlands to Lagos. The consignment, intercepted at a courier company on May 26, contained three kilograms of ketamine and 199 grams of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy.
Elsewhere, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided a warehouse in Gidan Kukah, Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State, where 457 kilograms of skunk were recovered on May 27. A suspect, Godwin Zakka, 46, was later arrested in the Gbeganu area of Minna in connection with the seizure.
In Enugu State, officers on patrol along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway intercepted a commercial vehicle travelling to Taraba State on May 28. A search led to the recovery of 22,000 tramadol pills, 100 ampoules of pentazocine and 200 grams of bromazepam. One suspect, James Maigari Wisdom, was arrested.
The NDLEA said its commands nationwide continued anti-drug abuse sensitisation campaigns through lectures and awareness programmes in schools, workplaces, places of worship and communities.
Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Buba Marwa, praised personnel in Kaduna, Niger and Enugu states, as well as the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, for the arrests and seizures.
Marwa also urged officers across the country to sustain efforts aimed at reducing drug supply while intensifying public awareness campaigns against drug abuse.
