Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a former councillor in Lagos State and intercepted several illicit drugs and explosive components in multiple operations across the country.
The agency said the former councillor, Sheleru Sadiq, who represented Orimedu in the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area, was arrested on March 2 at his residence over alleged possession of illegal drugs.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, noting that a search of the suspect’s residence led to the discovery of 40 kilograms of skunk, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in one of the rooms.
Babafemi said Sadiq, who currently serves as a legislative aide, admitted ownership of both the drugs and the property where the substance was recovered.
“He confessed that the exhibit belonged to him and that the house where it was found is his residence. He also confirmed that he previously served two terms as a councillor representing Orimedu community in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Council,” Babafemi said.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives arrested Emeka Hyginus Okwor, a 32-year-old businessman, after discovering 1,000 pills of tapentadol (250mg) hidden inside baby diapers.
According to the agency, Okwor confessed that he was transporting the drugs to Guduwa village in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, where he operates a provision store.
The anti-narcotics agency also apprehended a 36-year-old Cameroonian national, Mey Ali Muhamat, with a consignment of Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, along the Kabba–Obajana highway in Kogi State.
In Niger State, operatives on patrol along the Mokwa–Jebba road intercepted a commercial bus travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, with 500 pieces of improvised explosive device components concealed in a white sack.
Babafemi said a follow-up operation led to the arrest of the suspected recipient, Osama Abdullahi, 21, at Pelegi in Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.
The agency added that further operations in Adamawa, Kano and Ogun states also yielded large consignments of illicit drugs.
In Adamawa, NDLEA operatives in Yola recovered 122,000 pills of tramadol and 700 grams of methamphetamine hidden in the false bottom of a truck conveying 2,000 cartons of local drinks.
Similarly, a suspect identified as Muhammed Ali, 20, was arrested at Gadar Tamburawa in Kano with 11,283 pills of tramadol, while two suspects Nazifi Mudansir and Kabiru Musa were apprehended during a raid in Ogere, Ogun State, where 46 kilograms of skunk were recovered.
The NDLEA said the arrests and seizures were part of its ongoing nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking and related criminal activities.
Babafemi reiterated the agency’s commitment to intensifying surveillance and enforcement operations to curb the distribution of illicit substances across the country.
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