The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Edo Command, says it detained 46 persons, in connection with drug trafficking, seized over 6,439kg of illicit drugs and secured seven convictions in January.
The State Commander of the agency, Dr Mitchell Ofoyeju, disclosed this to newsmen in Benin City, on Wednesday, while presenting the command’s operation’s scorecard for the month.
Ofoyeju, a Commander of Narcotics, said the suspects comprised 36 males and 10 females.
He also said that the command’s early gains in the year were made possible by intelligence-driven operations and strategic collaborations with sister security agencies.
According to him, one of the major seizures during the period was the interception of 66 bags of marijuana, weighing 792kg, concealed in charcoal bags, on the Auchi–Abuja Expressway.
He said that one of the suspects, Shaibu Yusuf, was arrested in connection with the consignment, while allegedly transporting it to northern Nigeria.
The NDLEA boss commended the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Benin City for its support in the fight against drug trafficking.
He disclosed that the Brigade Commander, Brig.-Gen. Ahmed Balogun, handed over Chief James Abamu, 48, and Aboy Egah, 31, along with 681kg of marijuana and 181kg of marijuana seeds to the agency.
He further said the agency, in a joint operation with the military, destroyed a marijuana farm, located at Ebora Camp in the Ilushi Forest, Esan South East LGA of the state.
Ofoyeju said that 6,439.4kg of drugs were seized during the month, with marijuana being the bulk of the seizure.
He said that of the quantity, 4,063.87kg were destroyed during farm eradication exercises, while 2,374.46kg were recovered from raid operations.
He said that other drugs seized included 0.7957kg of psychotropic substances, 0.0264kg of methamphetamine, 0.011kg of cocaine, 0.013kg of heroin and 3.5 litres of codeine-based syrup.
Ofoyeju said the destroyed marijuana farm covered approximately 1.63 hectares and was estimated to yield about 4,063.87kg of marijuana.
He expressed joy that the development dealt a “significant blow” to local drug cultivation networks.
He said that as part of the efforts to disrupt drug trafficking logistics, the command also impounded a light green Toyota Yaris, with Registration Number USL 123HK, during an operation at Ihama Road, GRA, Benin City.
On the judicial front, Ofoyeju said the command secured seven convictions in January, charged seven new cases to court, while 105 cases were currently pending before the Federal High Court, Benin City.
He also said that the command continued to address drug abuse through counselling and rehabilitation.
He said that 16 clients received counselling services during the month, while seven others were undergoing rehabilitation at the state command’s headquarters.
He said that four drug abuse sensitisation programmes were also conducted during the period.
Ofoyeju reaffirmed the agency’s resolve to remain steadfast in its mission to curb drug trafficking and abuse in the state to ensure a safer and healthier society.
