The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted over 2.3million tablets of illicit pharmaceutical opioids and other psychoactive substances meant for distribution in seven Northern states.

The Northern states are Borno, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, Gombe, and Nasarawa.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, made the disclosure via a statement issued and made available to The Star on Sunday.

“In all, a total of 2,325,553 tablets and capsules of Tramadol, Pregabalin, Hypnox, Diazepam and Exol-5 including 7,353 bottles of a new psychoactive substance locally called Akuskura meant for the seven states were seized from locations across Kaduna, Kogi, Sokoto, and the FCT,” Babafemi stated.

He added that a drug dealer, Umar Sanusi, was arrested on Friday, August 12 during a follow-up operation in Kano and brought back to Kaduna State where his consignment of 50 cartons of pregabalin 300mg, containing 750,000 capsules, weighing 375kgs earlier seized along Abuja-Kaduna expressway was counted and weighed in his presence.

“Same day, operatives also intercepted along Abuja-Kaduna express road 7,068 bottles of a new dangerous substance of abuse called Akuskura meant for Kaduna, Zamfara, Gombe, Kano, and Borno.

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“The recipients in Kaduna and Zamfara have been arrested during follow-up operations. The following day, Saturday 13th August, 285 bottles of the NPS were recovered from a dealer, Abubakar Ahmad, along the same highway,” the NDLEA spokesman said.

Babafemi further stated that no fewer than 696,000 tablets of tramadol, and Exol-5, among others loaded into a truck at Onitsha, Anambra State, and heading to Maiduguri, Borno State, were seized along the Okene-Abuja expressway, Kogi State on Friday, August 19.

He added that the NDLEA operatives also recovered 300,000 tablets of Diazepam from a 30-year-old suspect, Faruku Bello, in Sokoto State on Wednesday, August 17.

He noted that the anti-narcotic agency officers equally intercepted a bus loaded with 323, 200 tablets of tramadol 225mg in Abuja over the weekend and others at Onitsha, Anambra State heading to Nasarawa State.

Babafemi said the driver of the vehicle, Osita Nwobodo, aged 45, who made fruitless bids to compromise the operatives, is now in custody.

Speaking on the arrests and seizures, the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the anti-narcotic agency officers and urged them and their compatriots across the country to intensify their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.

The Star