Troops of the 65 Battalion of the Nigerian Army have intercepted a truck conveying a large consignment of illicit drugs along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road and arrested its driver.
The Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 81 Division Nigerian Army, Lt.-Col. Musa Yahaya, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
Yahaya said the operation was carried out on July 9 following actionable intelligence received from a credible source.
He said preliminary investigations revealed that the illicit consignment was being transported to the Berger area of Lagos State.
According to him, the suspect failed to provide satisfactory information on the ownership of the drugs or their intended recipient.
“Troops of 65 Battalion recorded an operational success with the interception of a truck conveying a large consignment of illicit drugs along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road following actionable intelligence received from a credible source.
“The intelligence-led operation resulted in the successful interception of the vehicle and the arrest of its driver,” he said.
Yahaya said the suspect and the recovered illicit drugs had been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Lagos State Command, for further investigation and possible prosecution.
He added that the handover was conducted by the Commanding Officer of the 65 Battalion, Lt.-Col. S. Adeojo, in line with established procedures.
Reacting to the development, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 81 Division Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Adebayo Babalola, commended the troops for their vigilance, professionalism and operational effectiveness.
Babalola urged the personnel to sustain the momentum of ongoing operations and intensify efforts aimed at denying drug traffickers and other criminal elements freedom of action within the division’s area of responsibility.
He reiterated the Nigerian Army’s commitment to supporting other security and law enforcement agencies in the fight against drug trafficking and other forms of criminality.
