National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives conducted a successful raid on a lounge in Osogbo, the capital of Osun state, on Saturday, November 25th.
The targeted lounge was slated to host a night party promoting illicit substance abuse, leading to the arrest of organizers found in possession of drug exhibits.
This intervention was prompted by credible intelligence indicating plans for a night party named “Unholy Alliance for Stoners and Drunkards” at Berrymist Lounge in the Ofatedo area of Osogbo.
The organizers, including Ikotu Omolayo (25), Fola Olabode (30), and Akorede Adunni Ajibola (22), were apprehended as they gathered to kick off the event.
NDLEA operatives seized illicit substances and drug paraphernalia from them, and the management of the lounge has been summoned for further investigation.
This operation follows a prior raid on November 23rd at Area 5 forest reserve, Ile-Ife, where NDLEA operatives recovered 156 kilograms of cannabis sativa.
In a separate incident on Friday, November 24th, NDLEA operatives in Ogun state arrested two suspects, Adamu Ibrahim and Nura Sani, at Ileke trailer garage along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
The suspects were transporting 859 kilograms of cannabis sativa concealed among bags of sugar in a truck bound for Mokwa, Niger state.
The illicit consignment originated from Ogbese, Ondo state, and was initially hidden among bags of cement in a truck before being transloaded into another trailer labeled as carrying sugar in Ogun state.
In Edo state, operatives on Monday 20th Nov. stormed a warehouse at Obi Camp in Owan West LGA where they recovered 338kgs of cannabis concealed in sacks of charcoal, while in another operation in Ikhin forest, Owan East LGA, NDLEA officers seized 235kgs of the same psychoactive substance on Saturday 25th Nov.
A suspect, Onah Kenneth Ikechukwu, 32, was arrested at Jattu, Etsako West LGA with 11,690 capsules of tramadol, 295 bottles of codeine syrup and various quantities of Molly, Cannabis and Methamphetamine on Wednesday 22nd Nov.
A similar raid in Lagos on Wednesday 22nd Nov. at Enu Owa Street, Lagos Island led to the recovery of 40,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 440,000 pills of tramadol in a store belonging to a suspect, Ebuka Amechi who is currently at large.
Not less than 135,600 capsules of tramadol and 950grams of cannabis were seized from two suspects: Afamefuna Ibekwe, 37, and Sunday Onweh, 41, at Nkpor, Akuzor and Ose-Ogbaijo, Onitsha, respectively.
While 37,360 pills of different opioids and 250 bottles of codeine syrup coming from Onitsha, Anambra enroute Abuja were recovered from Muhammed Abba Khamis, 22, on Thursday 23rd Nov. along Okene- Lokoja-Abuja expressway, operatives in Ekiti state seized a total of 288kgs of cannabis at Odo-Owa forest in Ijero LGA on Saturday 25th Nov.
At least, 116kgs of same psychoactive substance were seized from a suspect, Chinagoram Obaru, 24, who was arrested at Iju forest on Thursday 23rd Nov.
In the same vein, Commands across the 36 states and the FCT equally continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation lectures in schools, communities, work places and others.
Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and staff of Comprehensive High School, Abia, Udi LGA, Enugu; teachers and students of Dr. Nuhu Sanusi Junior/Senior Secondary School, Dutse, Jigawa; students of Haneef High School, Jos, Plateau; students of Akinorun Muslim Grammar School, Ikirun, Osun; students of Zaibadari Michika Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary School, Michika, Adamawa; and students of Madarasatul-Islamiya Baichin Kako, Marna Gusau, Zamfara state, among others.
Commending the arrests and seizures of the past week by officers and men of the Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Anambra, Ekiti, Kogi and Lagos Commands, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their compatriots across all formations of the Agency to continue to remain vigilant and double their efforts especially with the desperation of criminal networks to make money by all means as the yuletide season approaches.
