Mobolaji Michael
CONSIGNMENTS of opioids concealed in soles of shoes and hair attachments heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Cyprus have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos and three courier companies in the state.
A total of 2,118 pills of tramadol concealed in soles of 13 pairs of shoes going to Cyprus were seized at the export shed of the Lagos airport on 12th October 2024, and an additional 380 tablets recovered from the home of the sender, Okenwa Kelvin Uchenna, during a follow-up operation in Enugu on Thursday 24th October. Cash of Nine Hundred and Sixty-Eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty Naira (N968,880.00) and a Toyota Avalon car marked UWN 389 AS was also recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest. 
Not less than 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injection as well as 1.690kg cannabis and tramadol tablets concealed in hair attachments and soles of shoes going to the United States, United Kingdom and Oman were intercepted at three courier firms by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) in Lagos on Thursday 24th October.
In the same vein, a total of Twenty-Six Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand (26,250,000) pills of tramadol as well as Five Hundred and Eight Thousand, Four Hundred (508,400) bottles of codeine-based syrup worth Sixteen Billion, Six Hundred and Eighty-Three Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (N16, 683, 800,000) in street value were intercepted by NDLEA operatives during 100 per cent joint examination of watch-listed containers with men of Customs Service and other security agencies at the Tincan Port in Lagos and Port Harcourt port, Onne, Rivers State between Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd October.
Other illicit consignments intercepted during the joint inspection of the containers include 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700kg at Tincan and Onne ports respectively, while 56 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 28kg were also recovered from a container that arrived the Lagos port from Canada.
A suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, 40, was arrested at Ago Palace area of Okota, Lagos in connection with the cannabis seizure while a bribe of N10 million paid NDLEA officers to free the suspect has been kept as part of the exhibits for the prosecution of the case.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Lagos on Friday, 25th October, raided the Igbo-Igunuko Shrine, located at the Alfa Beach, Ajah, where jumbo bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 2,760kg were recovered and two suspects: Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun arrested. Another suspect, Ademola Oyelakin, was also arrested the same day with 770kg of the same psychoactive substance along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
A total of 11,786 pills of tramadol, molly, Rohypnol and diazepam, as well as 64 bottles of codeine syrup, were recovered from the underground storage a suspect, Muhammad Warnos Abdullahi, dug in his bedroom at Marwa Coastal Road, Lekki Phase 1 Lagos when NDLEA officers raided his home on Friday 25th October. The suspect dug the illicit drug storage deep in his room, covered it with padlocked iron slate and a rug and then put his mattress on top to avoid detection.
In Plateau, a suspect Fadan Bindom, 39, was arrested at Pilgani village in possession of 65.85kg cannabis and18 grams of tramadol, while another suspect Sunday Agbata, 42, was nabbed at Pavwei – Rayfield in Jos South Local Government Area with 5,830 tablets and ampoules of bromazepam, diazepam and pentazocine injection on Wednesday 23rd October.
A major distributor of illicit drugs in FCT Abuja, Umar Muhammed, 40, was on Monday 21st October nabbed following the earlier seizure of a consignment of 198.5kg cannabis linked to him at Wuse Market Park. 
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives recovered 640kg cannabis concealed in 80 jumbo bags of fresh vegetables at Ewu Junction, Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area and arrested a suspect, Austin Oruamen, 27, while another suspect Adereti Kazeem, 35, was nabbed with 200 blocks of cannabis weighing 133kg at Obalayan, Ile-Ife, Osun State on Thursday 24th October.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities, among others, in the past week. These include WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Government Girls Secondary School, Tambuwal, Sokoto; St. Mary College, Awka, Anambra State; Prime Rose Model Private College, Saki, Oyo State; Community Model Arabic College, Malumfashi, Katsina State; Community Junior Secondary School, Rumuomasi, Rivers State; and WADA advocacy lecture to Rugar Alhaji Manu Unguwan Sullubawa, Gombi, Adamawa state, among others.
Eighteen-Eleven Media