NDLEA Seizes 396,000 Tramadol Capsules at Yola Airport, Arrests Suspect
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 396,000 capsules of tramadol at the Aliyu Mustapha International Airport in Yola, Adamawa State.
The seizure, made on 14 November, comes just a week after operatives recovered more than 171,000 tramadol capsules in coordinated operations across Niger, Benue and Taraba States.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed on Sunday that a 50-year-old suspect, Ahmed Isyaku Nda, was arrested in connection with the Yola interception. He added that operatives also raided a warehouse in Asob Maraba, Karu, Nasarawa State, where they recovered 785 kilogrammes of cannabis belonging to a dealer who fled before officers arrived.
In Lagos, the agency also arrested a suspected drug baron who had been posing as a hotelier and businessman. The suspect, Franc CJ Ibemesi, 42, was arrested at his hotel on Ago Palace Way, Isolo, and later taken to his warehouse where officers found 1.76 tonnes of cannabis packed in 42 jumbo bags and four cartons.
Recovered cash from the operation included $11,600, £2,000, €2,200, and 50 Canadian dollars.
In Osun State, NDLEA operatives foiled an attempt by a syndicate operating in the Orita-Apeje and Araromi-Okeodo forest reserves to distribute over 11 tonnes of processed cannabis. Two trucks transporting the drugs were seized, and seven suspects — Lucky Abiodun, Julius Amos, Victor Ngbikili, Sunday Oduegwu, Ibrahim Akanni, Eze Godstime and Fred Ifeanyichukwu — were apprehended.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), praised the operatives for their vigilance and urged personnel nationwide to maintain the momentum of the agency’s coordinated anti-drug efforts.
The latest string of operations follows the recent recovery of a ₦338 billion drug consignment at the PTML Terminal of the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos. The NDLEA says it is working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the UK’s National Crime Agency to track the syndicates behind the shipment.
