In remarkable operations so far in July, Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted a staggering 4,560 kilograms of skunk across multiple states, majorly Lagos, Adamawa, and Osun.
Highlighting their commitment to combating drug-related crimes, NDLEA operatives executed a successful raid on a ‘skucchies’ factory situated in Ogun State. During the operation, they apprehended four members of a notorious drug syndicate, which included two church officials, a female staff member of a courier company, and another lady involved in trafficking lethal opioid fentanyl within Delta State.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, in a press statement, disclosed that the recent apprehension of the fentanyl cartel in Warri, Delta State, follows extensive months of intelligence-led investigations which led to the arrest of two members of another syndicate, Odoh Collins Oguejiofor, and Oliver Chigozie Uzoma at Ogbogwu market, Onitsha, Anambra State. Fentanyl, a highly potent drug exceeding heroin’s strength by a factor of 100, is currently responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths and plays a significant role in both fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the United States of America.
Babafemi added that in Warri, Delta State, the Agency took into custody two officials from Christ Mercyland Deliverance Ministries (aka Mercy City Church), identified as Adewale Abayomi Ayeni (age 39) and Ebipakebina Appeal (age 41). The two individuals were linked to intercepted consignments of the illicit drug.
Additionally, during the ongoing probe into the intercepted shipments by the NDLEA, two female accomplices were apprehended in Warri. Naomi David (age 28), a staff member of United Parcel Services (UPS), and Stacy Njideka, also known as Nkiruka (age 27), a business associate of Ayeni, were both implicated in the drug trafficking activities.
Moreover, on the 5th of July, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Hilux vehicle with the registration EPE 863 XD along Ngurore-Mayo Belwa road, Adamawa State. This operation further bolstered their efforts to curb drug trafficking.
In Lagos, on the 1st of July, a suspect named Segun Odeyemi was apprehended while transporting 89 jumbo bags of skunk. The swift action taken by the NDLEA in this case prevented a significant amount of drugs from reaching the streets.
Finally, on the 6th of July, NDLEA operatives conducted a raid on a ‘skucchies’ factory located at Ajaka Sagamu in Ogun State. The operation resulted in the arrest of a suspect named Adekunle Adekola and the seizure of several incriminating exhibits.
Retired Brigadier Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, the Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, commended the NDLEA officers for their dedication and called upon them and their fellow officers nationwide to continue their relentless pursuit of eradicating substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking from the country.