The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a 29-year-old suspect, Ismail Isah, with an AK-47 rifle and two magazines concealed in a sack of maize along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi. According to the statement, the arrest was made on Friday, May 16, during a routine patrol by NDLEA operatives. The suspect, Isah, is to be handed over to relevant security agencies for further investigation.
In a related development, NDLEA officers in Taraba State apprehended a 22-year-old man, Shafiu Ismail, with 5,350 pills of tramadol and diazepam in Sabon-layin, Jalingo Local Government Area, on Thursday, May 15. That same day, 35-year-old Tijjani Mohammed was arrested in Malamawa, Jigawa State, with 198kg of cannabis, commonly known as skunk.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives patrolling Mokwa-Jebba Road in Niger State intercepted a Toyota Carina with registration number AGL 945 BK loaded with 316 blocks of skunk weighing 143kg. One suspect, Idris Kamal, aged 35, was arrested in connection with the haul.
In Kaduna State, a 26-year-old suspect, Emmanuel Hassan, was arrested at Chachi Junction with 14.3kg of Loud, a potent cannabis variant. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner, Bello Aliyu (alias Liti), aged 39.
Elsewhere, a 60-year-old suspect, Welman Kengbo, was apprehended with 594.8kg of skunk in the Karu area of Nasarawa State on May 16. In Lagos, NDLEA officers arrested Oyenuga Toheeb on May 15 along the Lekki/Epe Expressway with 67.5kg of cannabis.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign across the country. Awareness lectures were held at various educational institutions including Supreme International School in Kano, Al-Arifeen International Academy in Kaduna, Nadado Primary School in Katsina, Ila Orangun Grammar School in Osun, and Government Secondary School in Onne, Rivers State.
The agency reaffirmed its commitment to stemming the tide of drug trafficking and abuse through enforcement and sustained public enlightenment.
