The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Lagos-based female lawyer, Ebikpolade Helen, who specialises in the production and distribution of skuchies, a mixture of cannabis, opioids, and black currant in Akwa, the Anambra State.

The lawyer was arrested following an earlier seizure of 5kg cannabis and 12 bottles of prepared skuchies in her apartment in the Lekki area of Lagos State.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement on Sunday, July 16.

Babafemi revealed that 336 grams of skunk stuffed inside computer hard drives going to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), were seized at a courier firm.

He said a 28-year-old suspect, Ibrahim Analu, was arrested at Iddo motor park in Lagos while attempting to send 151,700 pills of opioids to Kaduna.

“A total of 4.830kg skunk was also discovered at another courier firm in a shipment from Douala, Cameroon passing through Nigeria to Oman. The drug was concealed in 10 of 12 cans of palm fruits paste, locally called Banga, packed in a carton,” the NDLEA spokesperson added.

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He stated that another suspect, Abubakar Shuaibu, was arrested at Cappa along the Mushin/Oshodi road with 86 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 8.6 litres in his Toyota bus marked FFA 241YB on Thursday, July 13.

Babafemi revealed that two other suspects, Razak Ogunbo and Adeola Idowu, were also nabbed at Ikorodu with 51 litres of skuchies on Tuesday, July 11.

The NDLEA spokesman added: “This is even as 372kg cannabis sativa and 48 bottles of skuchies measuring 48 litres were recovered from the home of a fleeing drug dealer at Akala, Mushin Lagos on Wednesday 12th July.

“In Ondo State, operatives stormed a building at Ehin-Ala, Akure South LGA where they arrested one Abubakar Zayanu Gyambar, 28, with 162 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 1,944 kilograms, while another suspect, Henry Wilson, 50, was nabbed at Ogume town, Ndokwa West LGA, Delta State with same substance weighing 216.5kg.”

“A total of 45.41kg cannabis was recovered from Adam Hassan, 27, along Inga wa-Mani – Mashi road, Katsina enroute Niger Republic, while 70kg of same substance was seized from Mamman Nur Shettima on Saturday 15th July along Kano – Nguru road, Yobe State.”

Babafemi said a 48-year-old suspect, Abdulhamid Lawan Bayaro, was arrested in the Dan Agundi area of Kano with 114 blocks of cannabis, weighing 71.7kg on Thursday, July 13.

The NDLEA spokesman added that the anti-narcotics officers equally recovered 50,000 pills of Tamol, a brand of Tramadol, in the Kofar Waika area of Kano.

Reacting, the NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the tenacity of the anti-drug agency officers, urging them and their compatriots across the country to remain vigilant.

The Star