The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a cartel operated by a notorious drug baron and his sister, seizing cocaine and methamphetamine valued at over N4.1 billion.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed in a statement released Sunday that the arrests of Kelechi Monday Nwaobasi, 49, and Chinwe Rose Nwaobasi, 50, took place following an extensive operation on June 13 and 14 in Aba, Abia State. “The siblings were apprehended with a combined total of 20.76 kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine,” Babafemi stated.
The statement detailed that the operation targeted properties at 3B, Boundary Avenue, Aba, and a residence along Ohia Road, leading to the significant seizure. “This operation was the result of meticulous intelligence gathering and surveillance,” Babafemi noted, emphasizing the NDLEA’s commitment to curbing drug trafficking.
In a related bust, NDLEA operatives discovered a large warehouse in Lagos packed with codeine-based syrup. The raid, executed on June 10 in the Comfort Oboh area of Kirikiri, resulted in the seizure of 82,000 bottles of the opioid, worth over N600 million, and the arrest of four suspects. “Those arrested include Kingsley Amanambu Obumneke, 38; Emeka Emmanuel, 48; Bornaventure Ugochukwu, 59; and Martin Dike, 56,” the statement detailed.
Subsequently, on June 12, the NDLEA intercepted another suspect, Ibrahim Abdulhamid, in Lagos with 29,100 pills of tramadol and 3.9 liters of codeine syrup.
Further arrests across Nigeria highlighted the scope of the NDLEA’s efforts. In Kano, operatives apprehended Yasir Rabi’u, 23, and Abubakar Ado, 30, with 230,600 tramadol pills on June 10. In Ogun, officers seized 390 kg of cannabis and detained three suspects during a raid in Ibese.
On June 12, a skuchies factory in Shagamu, Ogun, was shut down, with seven individuals arrested and significant quantities of narcotics and equipment confiscated. The NDLEA identified the suspects and the illicit items, including 387 liters of skuchies and 70 liters of industrial codeine.
In Edo State, a massive cannabis farm covering 4.2 hectares was destroyed in Uhen Forest on June 12, with four arrests made and 10,534.78 kg of cannabis eradicated. Additionally, in Abuja, 3,550 bottles of the psychotropic substance “Akuskura” were seized, and two suspects were detained on June 14.
The NDLEA’s nationwide crackdown also saw significant arrests and seizures in Benue, Anambra, Kwara, and Oyo States, further underscoring their resolve against the drug menace.
This multi-state operation reflects the NDLEA’s intensified campaign to dismantle drug networks and curb the distribution of narcotics across Nigeria.
