Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a notorious supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, weeks after he fled during a raid on his residence.
The suspect, Mohammed Sani, 33, also known as Gamboli, was apprehended on Thursday, December 11, at a drug joint in Anguwan Fadama, Kuta, following weeks of intelligence-led surveillance by NDLEA officers.
His arrest came three weeks after NDLEA operatives raided his home at Anguwan Makera, Kuta, on November 20, where they recovered 471.8 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis. Sani, however, escaped arrest during the operation and went into hiding.
Confirming the development in a statement on Sunday, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, said sustained intelligence gathering eventually led to the suspect’s capture.
“Intelligence reports had indicated that Gamboli is a major supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State,” Babafemi said, adding that his arrest marked a significant disruption of the drug supply chain fueling banditry in the area.
The Niger arrest was part of a sweeping nationwide crackdown by the NDLEA that led to multiple arrests and large seizures across several states within the past week.
In Abia State, NDLEA operatives raided a clandestine codeine syrup factory at Amapu Igbengwo village, Umuakpara, Osisioma Local Government Area, where 9,015 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 1,152.2kg were seized.
In Enugu State, officers arrested Ossai Emeka, 45, with 7.2kg of skunk along the Onitsha–Enugu Ezike Road, while another suspect, Enoje Agada, 40, was nabbed with 94.6kg of the substance along the Enugu-Ezike–Ette Road.
A raid on a notorious drug joint known as “Beere the California” at Ido, Oyo State, led to the seizure of skunk, synthetic cannabis (Colorado) and methamphetamine. While the alleged owner of the joint, identified as “Idowu the Killer,” escaped, a suspect, Ajibade Faruk, was arrested. Another operation in Ibadan resulted in the arrest of a 35-year-old woman, Olusanya Abosede, with 238.4kg of skunk.
At the Gbaji checkpoint along the Seme Road in Badagry, Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted 50,000 pills of tramadol (250mg) and arrested two suspects, Bashiru Babalola, 43, and Ugunwale Ranti, 50.
Similar arrests and seizures were recorded in Ogun, Ondo, Edo and Gombe states, where suspects were apprehended with large quantities of skunk and tramadol. In Ondo, a 55-year-old woman, Veronica Obi, and her son were arrested with 1,187kg of skunk in Akure North.
At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers, working with Customs and other security agencies, intercepted a container laden with 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 23,579kg.
In addition, NDLEA operatives intercepted no fewer than 907 pills of tramadol, tapentadol and other controlled drugs concealed in black soap containers and designer clothing destined for the United States, Canada and Sweden through courier firms in Lagos.
Commending the officers involved, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged commands nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach of enforcement and advocacy under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
He said the arrests and seizures underscored the agency’s resolve to dismantle drug networks that fuel insecurity and criminality across the country.
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