Jumoke Olasunkanmi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 75-year-old grandma, Mrs. Sekinat Soremekun, in the Oshodi area of Lagos State, for dealing in illicit drugs.
This was contained in the agency’s weekly report signed by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.
Babafemi said she was arrested on Friday, after substantial quantities of cannabis and litres of codeine syrup were recovered from her. Mrs. Soremekun, the report stated, claimed that her son, Segun, who is currently at large, supplied her with the illicit substances for retail.
In a similar move, NDLEA’s operatives in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), intercepted a consignment of 1,496 bottles of codeine syrup at A.Y.A area, leading to the arrest of a suspect, 31 year old Ozioma Enoja, on Friday.
Another consignment of 400 bottles of codeine syrup from Port Harcourt was seized along Abaji-Abuja highway on Saturday, resulting in the arrest of suspect Bala Ishaq.
In Imo, operatives intercepted a way-billed consignment containing 2.287kg of cocaine along Owerri-Onitsha expressway on December 14th. The shipment, concealed in cellophane condoms, was en route from Lagos to Port Harcourt. A 45-year-old suspect, Isaac Okoh, was apprehended in connection with the case.
Similarly, in Nasarawa State, 10 jumbo bags of cannabis, weighing 100kg, were discovered in the ceiling of one Ibrahim Yahaya’s residence in Tudun Kofa area. Yahaya, aged 35, was arrested during the raid.
The NDLEA’s operations extended to Borno state, where officers arrested Bukar Ali, 29, and Abacha Alhaji Fantami, 20, with 171kg of cannabis at Ngamdu, Kaga LGA, on Tuesday.
Commending the efforts of NDLEA officers and men across various commands, the Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, urged continued diligence in the fight against drug cartels as the yuletide season approaches, emphasising the importance of maintaining a balance between offensive actions and drug demand reduction efforts.
