Operatives of the Nigeria’s Anti-narcotic National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), have taken into custody two wanted heads of transnational criminal organisations with multi-billion-naira worth of illicit drugs and assets seized from them.
According to the agency’s spokesperson Mr. Femi BabaFemi, the success followed weeks of intelligence-led operations across the country and outside Nigeria.
He said, the arrest of the wanted drug lords came on the heels of the interception of consignments of cocaine and heroin buried in the bellies of two traffickers heading to Paris, France and Doha, Qatar by NDLEA officers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja.
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Also, operatives at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday 10th October succeeded in taking into custody, Hakeem Babatunde Salami, the arrowhead of “Tajudeen Babatunde Abioye Transnational Criminal Organization”.
They are involved in the illicit trade of several narcotics including Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine, and Ephedrine between Nigeria, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique, and Europe.
“He fled Nigeria to South Africa upon the arrest of a member of his syndicate, Suleiman Babatunde Oba at the Lagos airport on August 25 over attempt to export 25.10kgs of ephedrine to South Africa.”
He said, Hakeem Babatunde Salami was however smoked out of hiding through partnership with South African authorities and other intelligence and investigative mechanisms.
“Some of his luxury vehicles have been seized and his home in Surulere Lagos sealed, other members of the cartel already in custody include Suleiman and Godwin Edet Mathew.”
Also, the head of another cartel, Okafor Ikechukwu Williams (aka Jantu) and his wife, Okafor Ifeyinwa Grace were also taken into custody on Thursday ,5th October when NDLEA operatives raided their hideout at 9 Awa Street, Ago Palace, Okota area of Lagos.
“27.566 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in a blue box and two sacks, ready for export to Europe and Asia were recovered.”
Meanwhile at the Abuja airport, operatives on Friday 6th October arrested a drug trafficker, Nwofor Ejiogu Charles, 45, during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR 1432 to Doha.
“After body scan revealed he ingested cocaine, he was placed under observation during which he excreted 75 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.653kgs. At the point of his arrest, Nwofor who was the last passenger to board his flight offered to compromise an NDLEA officer with $3,000 to free him.”
The NDLEA’S operatives made similar arrests and seized illicit substances from suspects across Kogi, Sokoto and Edo states.
While commending the efforts of the operatives in the affected commands, as well as the Special Operations Unit targeting the drug cartels for jobs well done in the past week, the Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, retired Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa assured that officers and men of the Agency will never let down their guards no matter the tricks and distractions orchestrated against it by criminal networks.
Meanwhile, NDLEA Commands across the country balanced their drug supply reduction operations with War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaigns to schools, markets, worship centres and communities.
