According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, four tons of illegal and controlled substances have been seized in seven states in the past week.
In a statement released on Sunday in Abuja, Babafemi noted that the narcotics also contain nitrous oxide, sometimes known as laughing gas, skunk, codeine syrup, methamphetamine, and Tramadol.
He claimed that the seizures were made during interdiction operations in the states of Lagos, Kogi, the Federal Capital Territory, Jigawa, Kaduna, Sokoto, and Edo.
A Toyota Sienna bus carrying 1,194 laughing gas cylinders totaling 2,547.2 kilograms was stopped on September 22 along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Expressway, according to an NDLEA official.
He claims that two suspects, Onyebuchi Ikpozu and Kenneth Igwe, who were in charge of transporting the shipment to Abuja for distribution, have been detained.
He said that one Toyota Sienna bus, bearing the registration KTU 582 HV, was hauling 99 boxes containing 594 cylinders weighing 1,267.200kg, while the other bus, under the registration FKJ 329 YA, was carrying 100 cartons containing 600 cylinders weighing 1,280kg.
Babafemi added that Mrs. Ugo Eluba, 48, was also detained in Abuja as part of a follow-up investigation after being linked to 2,400 injectable pentazocine ampules and 100,000 Exol-5 tablets seized in Kogi State.
“On September 20, agents in the FCT seized 977 kg of skunk in a trailer holding cartons of a particular seasoning brand and with the license plate LSR 343 XW.
“At Ipele junction in Ondo State, the skunk consignment was placed into the truck. Additionally, 959 kg of the material were to be distributed in Sokoto State, with the remaining kg being delivered to Gwagwalada.
“Two suspects, Auwal Mohammed and Abdullahi Abubakar, have been arrested in connection with the seizure,” he continued.
Ayuba Madaki, 28, and Mutari Abdulazeez, 31, were detained on September 23 at Zuba, FCT, with various amounts of methamphetamine, cannabis, and 13,930 Tramadol pills, according to Babafemi.
He added that two suspects, Shuaibu Yusif, 27, and Abubakar Hussaini, 20, were captured on September 23 during a stop-and-search operation on the Kano-Hadejia road in Jigawa with 89.1kg of skunk.
According to Babafemi, Usman Sidi, 35, was arrested on September 18 while traveling to Bauchi State along the Abuja-Forest Road in Kaduna State, and 6,000 ampules of pentazocine injection were found on him.
He said that on September 19, Dominic Chukwuma, 35, the true owner of the package, was detained following a follow-up operation in Bauchi.
According to the NDLEA official, Chukwuma’s home contained at least 2.58 kg of benzodiazepine and 36.55 kg of pentazocine injection.
“On the same Tuesday, two further suspects, Inuwa Nuhu and Isiyaku Dahiru Sani, were detained in connection with the discovery of 49 blocks of cannabis sativa hidden within a 26-kilogram black bag in a commercial vehicle traveling from Ogere in Ogun State to Kano State.
“A total of 183kgs of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis, were also recovered from the body compartments of a J5 bus intercepted in Lagos on Sept. 20,” the source added.
According to Babafemi, Sokoto State agents detained Charles Okeke, 44, with 473 bottles of codeine syrup on September 19 in the Unguwar Kosai neighborhood.
The NDLEA spokesman reported that at Igarra, Akoko Edo LGA in Edo State, 365 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 258kg were found inside a Toyota Camry automobile with the license plate KTU 886 EZ.
In the meantime, the agency destroyed 40 tons of cannabis plants spanning 16 hectares of farmland in a huge operation from September 11 to September 13 in a dense woodland in Ijesha Isu-Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State.