NDLEA Arrests Two Elderly Men for Supplying Drugs to Students, Records Major Seizures Nationwide
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly men accused of supplying illicit substances to secondary school students in Abia State, as the agency intensified nationwide operations that led to major drug seizures, the arrest of wanted suspects, and the interception of illicit consignments destined for local and international markets.
The suspects, identified as 84-year-old Godfrey Orji and 75-year-old Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora, were arrested in separate operations in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
According to the NDLEA, Obiora was apprehended on June 19 following credible intelligence that he was selling controlled substances to students and other members of the public from his patent medicine store located on Club Road, Umuahia. A search of the premises led to the recovery of 4.64 kilograms of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.
In a related case, Orji, a pensioner, was arrested after he was allegedly caught supplying illicit drugs to two teenage students of Saint Silas Secondary School, Old Umuahia. School security personnel intercepted the suspect and handed him over to the police before the case was transferred to the NDLEA.
One of the students, a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) student, reportedly told investigators that the suspect regularly supplied him with drugs, which he consumed and also resold to fellow students. The two students have since been placed under counselling and rehabilitation, while the suspects are expected to face prosecution.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 9.5-kilogram consignment of ADB-Chminaca, a synthetic cannabinoid classified as a dangerous New Psychoactive Substance (NPS), concealed in a carton shipped from China through a courier company. In a separate operation on June 16, officers recovered 300 grams of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden inside ladies’ handbags at another logistics firm.
The agency also raided the residence of a wanted drug dealer, Lukman Badmus, also known as Lukman Ogombo, in the Ogombo area of Ajah, Lagos, where operatives recovered nine bottles of codeine syrup and 30 grams of skunk.
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A follow-up operation at the shop of his wife, Aisha Saraki, on Lagos Island resulted in the seizure of an additional two bottles of codeine, drug paraphernalia, and 42 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 22.5 kilograms concealed inside a minibus parked outside the premises. Investigators said an attempt by the suspect to destroy some of the exhibits during the raid was foiled by operatives.
In Kogi State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja Highway arrested a 33-year-old suspect, Tochukwu Onah, who was travelling from Lagos to Abuja with 1.03 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in custard containers.
Similarly, a couple wanted in connection with the seizure of 117 kilograms of skunk in Ekiti State in March were arrested after months on the run. The suspects, James Tony Chukwudi, 48, and James Kehinde, 35, were apprehended on June 16 in Efon-Alaaye following sustained intelligence tracking.
In Oyo State, operatives raided a residence in the Dangote area of Elekara, Oyo Town, where they arrested 75-year-old Tudun Olubiyi alongside Nasiru Buhari, 22, and Buba Musa, 47. The operation led to the recovery of 118 jumbo bags containing 1,416 kilograms of skunk concealed beneath sawdust.
Further operations in Edo State resulted in the arrest of Patrick Imoukhede, 45, during a raid on Khagba Forest in Owan East Local Government Area. The agency said operatives destroyed 1,744.075 kilograms of cannabis and recovered an additional 169 kilograms of processed skunk.
In another operation at Ebora Camp in Ilushi, Esan South-East Local Government Area, NDLEA destroyed 2,424.945 kilograms of cannabis, while a separate raid led to the arrest of 45-year-old Augustine Anyamone with 395 kilograms of skunk.
Beyond enforcement activities, the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, communities, workplaces and religious centres across the country. Educational outreach programmes were conducted in schools across Ekiti, Kano, Nasarawa, Katsina and Anambra states, while the Rivers State Command paid an advocacy visit to the traditional ruler of Rumuogba Kingdom.
Commending officers and personnel of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) as well as commands in Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Lagos, Kogi and Edo states, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their commitment to reducing drug supply while sustaining public enlightenment campaigns.
He urged officers across the country to maintain the momentum in the fight against illicit drug trafficking and abuse.
By PRNigeria
