The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Bariu Aliu, a traditional chief priest at the Igunuko shrine in the Alpha Beach area of Ajah, Lekki, Lagos State, for his alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
Aliu, also known as “Malo,” is accused of leading a drug syndicate linked to the recovery of 2,760 kilograms of skunk at the shrine in October 2024.
This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The statement revealed that the suspect was apprehended after an extensive three-month manhunt. Babafemi noted that two accomplices of Aliu were earlier arrested, charged, and convicted.
“In Lagos, the traditional chief priest of the Igunuko shrine, Alpha Beach Ajah Lekki, where 2,760kg skunk was recovered on 25th October 2024, Bariu Aliu (alias Malo), has been arrested by NDLEA operatives after over three months of manhunt for him,” the statement read.
The agency also detailed other drug seizures across the country. In Abuja, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects, Anthony Nnamdi, 42, and Abba Ali, 27, at Nyanya, where they recovered 1.398kg of cocaine and a precursor substance used to produce crack cocaine.
Additionally, officers intercepted 20 parcels of cocaine, weighing 330 grams, concealed in face cream containers in a shipment bound for Australia.
Further, NDLEA agents seized 338,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at over N1.19 billion in street worth.
The consignments were discovered during joint examinations of containers at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Rivers State.
In Kano, a suspect, Habibu Ya’u, 23, was arrested at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria Road, with 45 blocks of cannabis weighing 24.2kg and 40,800 pills of opioids, including tramadol.
The NDLEA reiterated its commitment to tackling drug trafficking and abuse, warning that traffickers would continue to face the full weight of the law.
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