A fake soldier, police officer and a youth corps member are among 667 drug traffickers and users were arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) during its operations of notorious drug joints in Abuja, Benue, Lagos and other parts of the country.
Femi Babafemi, spokesman of NDLEA, in a statement on Sunday and made available to Daily Post explained that the assorted illicit drugs weighing over 153, 256.876kgs were either destroyed or seized in the past week.
In Lagos, he explained that the notorious drug haven, Akala in the Mushin area of the state, was on Friday, 15 October raided by a combined team of 70 NDLEA operatives and 30 soldiers in a joint operation code-named ‘Operation Still Waters’ leading to his arrest.
The NDLEA spokesman noted that 27 suspects were apprehended while various drugs like Cocaine, Heroin, Tramadol, Rohypnol and Cannabis, with a cumulative weight of 2,463.876Kg were also seized.
He added that a day earlier, operatives also raided drug joints in Ojo and Maryland areas of the state where six persons were arrested and different quantities of drugs seized.
According to him, “This followed another raid of Alhaji Lasisi street, Idioro, Mushin as well as Okota in Oshodi-Isolo area of the state during which 12 suspects were arrested and over 165kg of assorted illicit drugs recovered.”
In Ogun State, the statement explained that operatives on Friday 15 October arrested one Williams Esuabom along Ore- Shagamu expressway with 562.5kg Cannabis being conveyed in a Toyota sienna bus, stressing that in Benue State, narcotic officers in a joint operation with soldiers raided Lafia park where six suspects including a youth corps member, Paul Ndubuisi, were arrested with different quantities of drugs.
He explained that this came on the heels of the arrest of a suspected fake soldier, Abel John, along Apir- Makurdi-Aliade road with 3.5kg Cannabis on Wednesday 13 October.
In FCT, Abuja, according to him, a suspected fake Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Joshua Yusuf, who claimed to be serving in Kano was apprehended along Gwagwalada expressway while conveying 45.5kg of Cannabis.
He added that three suspects were arrested during raids in Dabba and Luku village, Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State where over 64kg of drugs were recovered on Wednesday 13 October.
The spokesman said that in Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives invaded the forest reserve along Uso Road, Ise-Orun local government area, stressing that they destroyed over 150,000kgs of cannabis being harvested on 40 hectares of land during an operation that lasted for three days.
The operation, which began on Tuesday continued till Sunday 17 October, said that the raids was carried out across other states in the country, no fewer than 615 suspects were arrested and illicit drugs with a total weight of 3394.2031kgs recovered.
