Blind Nigerien, son arrested with cannabis in Katsina

The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 52-year-old blind Nigerien, Bukar Haruna, and his 30-year-old son, Saka Haruna, while heading to Niger Republic with 20.5kg cannabis and 10 grams of exol-5.

The suspects, who hail from Damagram area of Niger Republic, were arrested by the NDLEA operatives on patrol at Malumfashi-Zaria road in Katsina State.

The spokesperson of the anti-drug agency, Femi Babafemi, made the disclosure via a statement issued on Sunday.

He stated that no fewer than 2,685.5kgs of cannabis were recovered in four different operations conducted in parts of Edo State in the last week, adding that 53 bags of C/S weighing 742.5kgs were seized on Wednesday at a camp in Esioriri, Owan East LGA of the state.

Babafemi noted four suspects, Chukueke Igba, 32; Solomon Peter, 34; Emmanuel Jeremiah, 36; and Happiness Chidi, 37 were arrested in connection with the crime.

The NDLEA spokesman said another raid in the house of a 45-year-old woman, Joy Zubaru, led to her arrest with 30.5kgs of cannabis recovered in Edo State.

He disclosed that the anti-narcotic operatives, on Thursday, stormed the Egbeta forest in Ovia North East in Edo State and recovered 112 bags of cannabis and 8 bags of seeds with a combined weight of 1,598.5kgs, adding that another team evacuated 27 bags of same substance weighing 314kgs at Amahor village in Igueben Local Government Area of the state.

Babafemi stated that the NDLEA operatives, on Tuesday, intercepted a Toyota Corolla car transporting 9,600 pills of tramadol in Mubi area of Adamawa State.

He said a follow-up operation later led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment, Mamuda Ramadan, popularly known as Muller.

The NDLEA spokesperson added that another suspect, Alhassan Muhammed, was arrested last Sunday along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 136,000 pills of tramadol concealed inside his car’s spare tyre.

While commending the anti-narcotic officers for the successful operations in the past week, the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), urged them and their counterparts across the country not to rest on their oars until all drug syndicates operating in Nigeria are completely dismantled and the last gram of illicit substance taken out of the streets.

The Star