Lagos – A 90-year-old retired soldier, Usman Adamu has been arrested in Mailalle, Sabon Birni LGA of Sokoto State by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for supplying bandits illicit drugs.

Authoritative source revealed that the suspect was arrested on Wednesday 3rd August in possession of 5.1kg cannabis sativa.

Confirming his arrest, Femi Babafemi, the Spokesperson of the Agency also disclosed that a trans-border drug dealer, Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong was arrested by operatives of NDLEA, with three drums of crystal methamphetamine, locally called Mkpuru Mmiri, believed to have been imported from India.

The consignment weighing 90 kilograms and loaded into a commercial bus with registration number RSH 691XC at Ojuelegba in Lagos was intercepted during a stop and search operation along Umuahia – Ikot Ekpene highway on Saturday 6th August 2022.

The dangerous drug packed 30kg in each drum was meant for Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong, who was arrested in a follow up operation at Oron beach in Oron.

The recovered Meth drums were meant for onward delivery to the Republic of Cameroon. This comes on the heels of four seizures of the same illicit substance weighing 4.074kg going to Australia, Indonesia and Philippines with a 3kg cannabis sativa heading to Dubai, United Arab Emirates at some courier companies in Lagos. The consignments were concealed in body cream, hot burner iron and beads.

The statement stated further that at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a 37-year-old indigene of Ovia LGA, Edo State and resident in Italy; Solo Osamede has been arrested for ingesting 41 wraps of heroin.

He was nabbed and taken into custody for excretion while attempting to board a Turkish Airline flight to Milan, Italy via Istanbul, Turkey on Saturday 30th July.

The swallowed wraps of the illicit drug were recovered in four excretions, which the suspect completed on Monday 1st August.

“In the same vein, a female passenger Jatau Lydia Lami was arrested at the Lagos airport for attempting to export 1,700 tablets of Tramadol 225mg concealed in her luggage to Istanbul, Turkey via a Turkish Airline flight on Sunday 31st July.”

Babafemi said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, a mother of three, hails from Zango Kataf LGA, Kaduna State and lives in Istanbul, Turkey with her family. She blamed her action on pressure to raise N5million ransom to free her mother from the captivity of bandits who kidnapped her since June.

“Also at the SAHCO export shed of the airport, attempts by some freight agents to export two consignments of cannabis in a consolidated cargo to Dubai, UAE on Thursday 4th August were thwarted by NDLEA operatives who have arrested two of them in follow up operations. They are: Oladipupo Oladapo Fatai and Animashaun Qudus, while two others are still at large.”