Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have prevented millions of capsules/tablets of tramadol and several thousands of bottles of codeine syrup from the streets of Nigeria during the Yuletide.

The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement yesterday that desperate bids by drug cartels to push out millions of illicit drug tablets across Lagos and other parts of the country for the festive season were frustrated by the NDLEA, “with the seizure of 8,381,600 capsules and tablets of Tramadol as well as 56,782 bottles of codeine among others in major raids in Lagos state.”

Babafemi noted that ahead of Christmas, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) had ordered sustained surveillance on some targets at Satellite Town and Alaba Rago areas of Lagos, revealing that the Satellite Town target was eventually raided on last Thursday, two days to Christmas, during which a drug kingpin, Ezekiel Ibe was arrested and over five tons of high milligrammes of tramadol; 225 milligrammes and 100 milligrammes recovered from his warehouse.
He said a breakdown of the seized drug showed 7,991,600 tramadol tablets and 390,000 capsules of the same weighing 5,468.894 kilogrammes.

Babafemi said in an early raid on Monday 20th December following tasking surveillance in a notorious neighbourhood at Alaba Rago, Alaba area of Lagos, one Surajo Mohammed was arrested with 941.14 kilogrammes of cannabis while 56,782 bottles of codeine were seized from the store of another drug lord still at large.
He also disclosed that the operatives of the agency have arrested a 22-year-old Amaka Ogonachukwu for attempting to smuggle wraps of cocaine concealed in cooked white rice for her boyfriend, Monday Imagbebenikaro, 40, in the custody of the Edo State Command of the NDLEA.

According to him, Monday was arrested earlier along Airport Road, Benin City, Oredo LGA, for dealing in crack cocaine, Cannabis Sativa and Danabel (Anabolic steroids).

In a related development, an outbound passenger to Italy on a Turkish Airline, Ovire Cyril has been arrested with 114 wraps of heroin with a gross weight of 1.8 kilogrammes during a routine search at Gate “C’ Departure Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos.

He said the drugs were concealed inside the pockets of four jean trousers, packed in a black suitcase, adding that the suspect who confessed that he was pushed into the crime by hardship after he lost his job, claimed he was promised €5,000 if he successfully delivers the consignment in Italy.

Babafemi said on the same day, during the outward clearance of Ethiopian Airline passengers’ luggage at the same gate, a male passenger, Osakue Evbuomwan travelling to Milan, Italy was arrested with 1.55 kilogrammes of tramadol concealed in a ‘Ghana must go bag.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency, Marwa, while commending the commanders, officers and men of the Lagos, Edo and MMIA commands of the agency for not letting down their guard during the festive season, assured them and their counterparts in other commands that his leadership would always reward exemplary performance.
He, however, charged them to remain focused and always aspire to surpass previous feats.