- Agency seizes drugs on Abuja-bound consignment
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 1,194 cylinders of nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas, weighing 2,547.2 kilograms.
Spokesman Femi Babafemi, in a statement yesterday, said the substance, loaded in two Toyota Sienna vehicles, was intercepted on September 22 on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway. According to him, it was part of illicit and controlled drugs including skunk, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and tramadol intercepted by during interdiction operations in Lagos, Kogi, Abuja, Jigawa, Kaduna, Sokoto and Edo states.
He added that two suspects – Onyebuchi Ikpozu and Kenneth Igwe – conveying the consignments to Abuja for onward distribution, were arrested and are currently in custody.
One of the vehicles (KTU 582 HV) was conveying 99 cartons, containing 594 cylinders and weighing 1,267.200kgs, the second (FKJ 329 YA) was conveying 100 cartons of the substance with 600 cylinders weighing 1,280kgs.
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Babafemi added that one Mrs. Ugo Eluba (48), was also arrested in Abuja in a follow up operation after 2,400 ampoules of pentazocine injection, and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5, intercepted in Kogi State, were traced to her.
Also, in Abuja, operatives intercepted 977 kilograms of skunk in a trailer (LSR 343 XW), bearing cartons of maggi. The skunk consignment was loaded into the truck at Ipele junction in Ondo State.
“While 959kgs of the substance were meant for distribution in Sokoto State, the rest was to be dropped off at Gwagwalada. Two suspects – Auwal Mohammed and Abdullahi Abubakar – have been arrested in connection with the seizure, while two other suspects – Mutari Abdulazeez (31) and Ayuba Madaki (28) – were also arrested on September 23 at Zuba area of Abuja with different quantities of methamphetamine, cannabis and 13,930 pills of tramadol,” he said.