NDLEA Intercepts Vehicle Loaded With Guns, Cartridges, Drugs In Kogi

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it intercepted a vehicle over the weekend loaded with cartridges and guns in Kogi State.

The anti-narcotic agency spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed in a statement made available to newsmen that operatives of the command were on patrol along the Okene-Abuja expressway on Saturday, September 17, when they intercepted a J5 vehicle coming from Onitsha enroute Kaduna-Zaria.

Babafemi said at least 18 pieces of pump action rifles and 1,300 cartridges were found in the vehicle.

He explained that two suspects conveying the arms and ammunition, Chukwudi Aronu, 51, and Shuaibu Gambo, 23, are now in their custody.

According to him, another suspect, Anthony Agada, 37, conveying 1,000 cartridges, was arrested on a bus coming from Onitsha to Abuja on the same day.

Babafemi, who stressed that the agency will not relent in the discharge of its duties said the Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.) has directed the Kogi State Command of the anti-narcotics agency to immediately hand over the arms and ammunition seized to the police for further investigation.

He added that; “1,404 bottles of codeine syrup and 2,040 ampoules of pentazocine injection were seized from another vehicle coming from Onitsha enroute Sokoto, with the receiver, Stanley Raymond, 39, and the sender, Shadrack Ifediora, 46, arrested in follow up operations in Sokoto and Anambra States respectively.

“In Kaduna, a drug dealer, Mohammed Dalhatu a.k.a Dawa, was arrested at Sabon Gari Zaria with eight bags of cannabis sativa weighing 67 kg, and another, Maikudi Hassan, arrested at Gubuci village of Ikara LGA with five bags of cannabis weighing 54.2 kg. On Thursday 15th Sept, operatives also arrested Mary Ugwu and Hawwa Idi, at Anchau town, Kubau LGA with 721 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 37,000 tablets of exol-5 and nine ampoules of injection as well as 6.8kg of rubber solution.”

Also in Edo, the operatives recovered 285 kg of cannabis in two raids at Okpuje, Owan West LGA, on Friday, September 16, while 972.5kg of the same substance was recovered from an electronic shop at Alaba Int’l market in Lagos, with one of the suspects, Mrs Ebere Aja, 38, arrested.

Babafemi explained that no less than 335.1kg of cannabis was seized in a raid at Kwanar Kundum area of Bauchi town, with two suspects, Usman Garba and Najib Ibrahim, arrested.