Through Uthman Salami
Amadu Garba, a 48-year-old man with physical disabilities, was taken into custody by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency after six bags of cannabis totaling roughly 67 kg were discovered inside his Yawuri town, Kebbi State, home.

The arrest was made public in a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi.

“In Jigawa State, on their way to supply the illicit drugs to their customers in Kazaure, Yankwashi, and Katsina, the trio of Tukur Yahaya, 55; Idris Haruna, 28; and Tanimu Umar, 29 was apprehended with 90 blocks of cannabis weighing 116.8 kg at Roni junction, Kazaure LGA, on July 19,” the statement reads.

Additionally, he said that the bureau has seized illicit shipments of cocaine and synthetic marijuana cannabis variety.

He added that at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, the products were hidden under game packs, incense candles, dry hibiscus leaves, and traditional women’s clothing.

According to the NDLEA, this happened after it intercepted the illegal shipments and detained persons connected to them.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s agents foiled drug syndicates’ ferocious attempts to smuggle cocaine and Loud—a synthetic cannabis strain—into and out of Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and certain courier businesses in Lagos. This was done after the illegal shipments were seized and suspects connected to the operations were apprehended. Babafemi continued.

The statement states that on July 18, 2024, at his home on Horizon Court, Lekki, Lagos, a businessman named Abdulwahab Owolabi Alebiosu was taken into custody after a shipment of 40 boxes of Loud totaling 20.30 kg was intercepted.

He claimed that packs of Scrabble, checkers, chessboards, and a poker set that were brought in from Canada on a British Airways flight contained the illegal chemical.

He said that the interception took place during a cooperative cargo examination with customs authorities at the SAHCO import facility at the Lagos airport.

Additional exhibits were found during a search of his home, including various drug-related items including a weighing scale and a cannabis potency test kit, and four vaping devices were found inside his shop on Admiralty Way in Lekki.

According to the statement, “A Mikano black truck with registration number FST 657 HP was also recovered from his house.”

Babafemi noted that further inquiry led to the capture of a businesswoman named Eze Ogechi, who claimed to be transporting the illicit shipment to Pakistan on behalf of her brother, Eze Promise, who lives in that nation in South Asia.

The spokesperson stated that eight packets of Loud, weighing a combined 2.10 kilograms, were found concealed inside the women’s traditional clothing after a thorough inspection of the bag.

A portion of the statement said, “On Thursday, July 18, at the Lagos airport, Orobi Amen, a male traveler from Benin, was stopped by NDLEA agents stationed at Terminal II, the MMIA’s departure gate. He was carrying a bag that included several traditional clothing items for women. The suspect was traveling to Dubai via Air Peace Airline via Accra, Ghana, and Emirates Airline for a connecting trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Eight packets of Loud, weighing 2.10 kg, were found hidden in the ladies’ traditional clothing after a thorough inspection of the bag. The suspect stated that upon successful delivery of the shipment in Dubai, he received it for a price of N600,000.