The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency  NDLEA has arrested a 75-year-old grandfather, Uchelue Ikechukwu, who was caught with 26.7kg of skunk at Umudioka, Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State.

According to a statement made available to t he column.ng by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi,  state that the agency also arrested several suspects and intercepted with large consignments of illicit substances concealed in petrol tankers, refrigerators, animal feed sacks, and other items across different states in various parts of the state with quantities of opioids and skunk.

At the Abuja-Kaduna tollgate, Babafemi said operatives intercepted 104,900 capsules of tramadol hidden in the driver’s compartment of a petrol tanker believed to be headed to insurgents in Borno State.

The driver, Hassan Buba, he said, was arrested, adding that another suspect, Kabir Sulaiman, 45, was caught with 34.1kg of skunk at the Gwargwaje-Zaria checkpoint.

“No fewer than 104,900 capsules of tramadol concealed in the driver compartment of a fuel tanker, suspected to be an illicit consignment going to insurgents in parts of Borno state, were intercepted by the NDLEA operatives at the Abuja/Kaduna tollgate in Kaduna on Friday, August 29, while a suspect, Hassan Buba, was immediately taken into custody.

“Another suspect, Kabir Sulaiman, 45, was nabbed with 34.150kg skunk by the NDLEA officers at Gwargwaje – Zaria checkpoint on Saturday, August 30. Following intelligence and surveillance, the NDLEA operatives in an interdiction operation on Saturday arrested a major supplier of illicit opioids in Borno State, 33-year-old Uchenna Umeh, shortly after he received his supplies from Onitsha, Anambra State.”

In Nasarawa State, Babafemi said two suspects were apprehended in separate operations with a combined 109,450 pills of tramadol and Rohypnol, along with 38 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup concealed in a deep freezer transported from Delta State.

Similarly, in Adamawa State,  he said Mohammed Ali, 23, was arrested after 15,000 tramadol capsules concealed in animal feed sacks were intercepted, while 58kg of skunk hidden in sacks of pepper was seized in Yola.

“In Nasarawa State, the NDLEA operatives on Thursday, August 28, arrested a suspect, Abubakar Dauda, 36, with 79,040 pills of tramadol and diazepam at Abacha park, Mararaba Karu. This followed the arrest of Babangida Tungura, 47, in Lafia, with 30,410 pills of tramadol and Rohypnol as well as 38 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup concealed in a deep freezer from Asaba, Delta State, on Tuesday, August 26.

“A 23-year-old suspect, Mohammed Ali, was, on Wednesday, August 27, arrested in a follow-up operation at Ngorore, Adamawa State, following the interception of his way-billed consignment of 15,000 capsules of tramadol concealed in sacks of animal feed at the Gombe mega park.”

In Adamawa State, he said a 58kg of skunk hidden in sacks of pepper was seized in Yola.

“A suspect, Hamisu Abdullahi, was arrested on Monday, August 25, in a follow-up operation in Yola, Adamawa State, after the NDLEA operatives on patrol along Mararraba Lamurde intercepted a Golf saloon car marked GME 253 HP driven by Sani Suleiman and coming from Gombe State loaded with sacks of pepper, used to conceal 79 blocks of skunk weighing 58kg belonging to Hamisu,” he said.

In Taraba State, he said operatives supported by personnel of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Forest Security Service, Mambila Youth Vanguard, and local vigilantes destroyed 178,750kg of cannabis cultivated on a 71.5-hectare farm in Mayodoga forest, Sardauna LGA.

Babafemi added that a suspect, Alfa Andrew, 30, was arrested with a Dane gun at the site.

Babafemi also said the NDLEA operatives in Borno arrested 33-year-old Uchenna Umeh, a major supplier of opioids, recovering 30,640 pills of tramadol 225mg, 7,940 tablets of Rohypnol, and cash of N7.9m in N200 new notes from his apartment.

In Ekiti State, Babafemi said a raid on a residence in Ado-Ekiti led to the seizure of 5.3kg of Loud and Colorado, two strong strains of cannabis, along with methamphetamine.

“In what appears to be the single largest seizure of Loud and Colorado, two strong strains of cannabis, in Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Friday, August 29 raided Nova Street, behind New Creation School, Ado-Ekiti where 5.3 kilograms of Loud and Colorado as well as 2.5grams of Methamphetamine were seized from a 42-year-old drug kingpin Ajayi Ayodeji Idowu (a.k.a Atiku),” he said.

In Kano, multiple seizures were made, including 250,000 tablets of Exol-5 from a 25-year-old suspect, Alhasaan Musa, and 25.7kg of skunk with 8,080 bottles of new psychoactive substances from two other suspects along the Zaria-Kano road.

In Edo State, he said NDLEA officers recovered 64,250 pills of opioids from a commercial bus along the Ewu-Auchi road, while in Ondo, 117.5kg of processed cannabis was seized from suspects at Queen Elizabeth Aponmun Reserved Camp.