NDLEA intercepts 11 suspects, illicit consignments in week-long operations

At least 37.5 kilograms of such illicit consignments were intercepted last week, with the arrest of 11 suspects in interdiction operations that led to the seizure of almost four tons of skunk in Kaduna, Kano and Lagos.

At the Lagos airport, a freight agent, Ogunsina Damilare was arrested on Friday following a bid to export 1.5 kilograms of skunk hidden in foodstuffs to Dubai, UAE through the SAHCO export shed of the MMIA, while a similar attempt to ship 11.5 kilograms of the same substance to the United Kingdom was frustrated when the consignment, concealed in a giant wooden sculpture, was intercepted by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI), at a courier company in Lagos. Curiously, the latter emanated from Ghana with London as destination.

At the Tincan port in Lagos, a shipment of 24.5 kilograms cannabis in transit to Nigeria from Montreal, Canada was intercepted by operatives, while an N8 million bribe offered NDLEA officers by the importer has been secured in an account for the prosecution of the case.

While the importer, Cedrick Maduweke is still at large, one of his accomplices, Steve Isioma Adigwe has been arrested. The consignment was hidden in a used Toyota Sienna vehicle that arrived the port along with three other cars in a container marked MSMU 5082733.

A total of 3, 672 kilograms of cannabis sativa were recovered from two locations and five suspects arrested in Kaduna during separate raid operations. Arrested at a warehouse at Rido village on Wednesday, 3rd January include: Edward Emmanuel, 28; and Miracle Madu, with 298 bags of C/S weighing 3,576kgs. Investigations revealed that the consignment was moved from a southern state to Kaduna in a petroleum product bearing truck.

Also, two other suspects: Sunday Bassey, 29 and Jessica Daniel, 14, were nabbed with 96kgs of same substance at Gonin Gora area of the state, while Sanusi Isah, 30, was arrested on Saturday 7th January at Giwa area with over 12,000 tablets of Tramadol 225mg and Diazepam.