The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Egwu Phillip Inya, a 42-year-old who claims to be a building engineer, for attempting to take delivery of illicit drugs concealed in pressure machines imported from South Africa.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Inya was apprehended on Monday, December 2, 2024, at Okeyson Motor Park in Enugu.
He had arrived to collect three pressure machines containing parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 7.40 kilograms.
Babafemi stated that the consignment arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on November 29, 2024.
NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, monitored the shipment through the clearing process and traced it to a logistics company’s warehouse outside the airport.
The collection point was later changed to Enugu, leading to Inya’s arrest in a follow-up operation.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives recovered 511,000 pills of tramadol from a Siena vehicle abandoned by its occupants along Hildi on the Askira Uba road in the early hours of Friday, December 6.
The vehicle was abandoned after the suspects noticed operatives were on their trail. In Ekiti State, two suspects, Olanrewaju Alale (48) and Babatunde Kayode Ijadahun (55), were arrested on the Ise-Emure road while transporting 1,323 kilograms of cannabis in a J5 bus.
They claimed the consignment was destined for Owo, Ondo State, from where it would be distributed in the northern region.
In Oyo State, Adekunle Yusuf (33) was intercepted on Idere Road, Igboora, with 704 kilograms of cannabis concealed in white sacks.
Meanwhile, in Lagos, a 65-year-old grandmother, Ramata Bola Adeyemo, was arrested on December 6 at Odunfa Street, Lagos Island, where 20.6 liters of codeine-based syrup were recovered.
On December 5, Alhaji Lawan Manga was apprehended in Ikeja with 4.7 kilograms of cannabis and 1.3 kilograms of tramadol.
The NDLEA also reported progress in its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns, with outreach programs conducted in schools, workplaces, worship centers, and communities nationwide.
Activities included educational lectures at Progressive Secondary School in Oyo, Muslim Grammar School in Osun, Government Girls College in Maiduguri, Community Secondary School in Rivers, and Chiranci Upper Basic Junior Secondary School in Kano.
In Lagos, the campaign targeted members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Orile Agege.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the operatives for their dedication and professionalism.
He highlighted the agency’s successes in both drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts, emphasizing their importance in safeguarding communities across the country.
