The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested five Nigerian women involved in a cross-border drug trafficking ring at the Seme border. The arrests were made on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, as the women were returning to Lagos from Ghana.
The leader of the group, 42-year-old Olaribigbe Bashirat Feyisara, had been under NDLEA surveillance for some time before being captured along with her accomplices. The other members of the gang were identified as Abogun Fatimah Ladidi, Osibeluwo Tolulope Oluwaseun, Akanni Balikis Oluwatoyin, and Ajetumobi Amudalat.
According to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media & Advocacy, “The operatives of a Special Operations Unit in NDLEA successfully apprehended the suspects at the Seme border. At the point of arrest, a total of 14 packs of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 6.97 kilograms, were recovered from hidden parts of their bodies.”
This successful operation is part of the NDLEA’s ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking in Nigeria. In addition to the arrests at the Seme border, NDLEA operatives made significant drug seizures and arrests across other parts of the country.
On August 23, 2024, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan seaport in Lagos intercepted two containers that had arrived from Mundra port in India. During a joint examination with other port stakeholders, they discovered 1,596 cartons of codeine-based syrup, containing 319,200 bottles of the opioid. The street value of the seized drugs is estimated at N2.234 billion.
In Edo State, two women were arrested for selling illicit drugs online. Martha Owotorofa, 26, was arrested at Kada Plaza in Benin City with quantities of Canadian Loud, while 21-year-old Odion Uzordinma was caught in the Ugbowo area with 30 cups of cookies and 17 slices of cake, all laced with illegal substances. Furthermore, a raid in Oghada village, Uhunmwonde Local Government Area, on August 20, led to the arrest of Saturday Edobor, 50, with 288.8 kilograms of cannabis.
The crackdown on drug-related crimes continued in Lagos, where NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect named Godwill Davidson on August 21. Davidson was found with 3,834 bottles of codeine syrup, 5,200 Co-Codamol pills, and 11,880 tablets of Rohypnol in the Mushin area of the state. On the same day, another suspect, 23-year-old Yahaya Ibrahim, was nabbed along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway in Kogi State. He was transporting 42,000 pills of tramadol from Asaba, Delta State, to Potiskum, Yobe State.
In Oyo State, two suspects, Feranmi Bankole, 25, and Fredrick Tobiloba, 25, were arrested on August 20 at Pariz Lounge in the Adeoyo area of Ibadan metropolis. NDLEA operatives recovered 267.5 liters of skuchies, a mixture of black currant and assorted illicit drugs, along with 18 grams of Canadian Loud.
The NDLEA has intensified its fight against drug trafficking and abuse, with continued vigilance and strategic operations across the country. The efforts of the agency have led to large seizures and arrests, disrupting the operations of drug trafficking networks. Babafemi commended the operatives for their dedication and success, urging them to keep up the pressure on drug-related crimes.