At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos State, agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized approximately 2.4 million tablets of tramadol in 225mg and 250mg strength, totaling 2,356kg.
Only a week had passed when the NDLEA apprehended a drug lord in a Victoria Garden City (VGC) estate in Lekki Lagos with 13.5 million tramadol tablets, estimated to be worth over N8.8 billion. The Friday pill seizures, with an estimated market value of N1.4 billion, were made.
"Following credible intelligence, the Agency had shown interest in the consignment of 52 cartons that came into Nigeria from Karachi, Pakistan with six different airway bills via Ethiopian Airline flight, comprising seven cartons of 250mg of a brand called tamral and 45 cartons of 225mg, branded as tramaking," according to a statement from the NDLEA signed by its spokesperson, Femi Babafemi. The 52 cartons of the seized material, which are beyond the acceptable limit for medical use and are prohibited in the nation, were brought to the Agency's facility soon after it landed at the Lagos airport after the NDLEA requested a joint assessment of the consignment with other stakeholders.
Similarly, NDLEA agents stopped 15 packages of marijuana and 600 grams of tramadol 225 mg that were being sent to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Osahor Ekwueme, the freight agent who provided it, was also detained.
The statement also disclosed the arrest of Ifeanyi Egbuwaohia, the mastermind behind a 5.20kg shipment of marijuana that was hidden inside kegs of palm oil and headed for Dubai but was previously thwarted by the NDLEA at the airport's NAHCO export shed.
According to the NDLEA, Egbuwaohia was detained in Lagos' Igando neighborhood.
In addition to his well-known job as a technician at Computer Village in Ikeja, Ifeanyi also collaborates with a narcotics network in Dubai, where he ships illegal pharmaceuticals for distribution.
"A few hours after his detention, operatives at the airport also seized another cargo of 2.60 kg of the same material delivered by him for export to Dubai."
Peace Ayuba, a female drug dealer from Kaduna, was detained on October 7 at Kakau Gonin Gora with 78 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 849.5kg, while Onyeka Owo, a 28-year-old from Sokoto, was detained with 443 bottles of syrup with a codeine base.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, commended the officers and staff of the organization and challenged them as well as their compatriots across the nation to be consistent, resolute, and unwavering until every last gram of illegal substances is removed from Nigerian streets.
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