… value of seized N193bn
President Muhammed Buhari in far away United States of America has commended the efforts of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for busting a major warehouse in a secluded estate in Ikorodu area of Lagos, where 1.8tons (1,855 kilograms) of the illicit drug worth more than $278, 250,000 equivalent of about N194, 775,000,000 in street value were seized.
The president who was highly elate commended the chairman of the agency the various success he has recorded since he became its chairman.
The president who was said to have spoken to General Buba Marwa through phone was alleged to have remarked: “I deeply appreciate the work that you have put into the eradication of the drug menace. It gladdens my heart as I continue to follow the successes achieved under your leadership.”
“You have demonstrated over and again that choosing you to lead this fight against wicked merchants of death whose sole aim is to endanger and truncate the future of our youth is a very good choice. Please keep up the good work.”
At a meeting later with members of his delegation, the President said, “Buba Marwa is doing well. Two tonnes of cocaine, that’s a haul.”
Four drug barons including a Jamaican and the warehouse manager have been arrested in the well-coordinated and intelligence-led operation that lasted two days across different locations in Lagos state.
NDLEA in a statement on Monday said, Kingpins of the cocaine cartel in custody include; Messrs Soji Jibril, 69, an indigene of Ibadan, Oyo State; Emmanuel Chukwu, who hails from Ekwulobia, Anambra state; Wasiu Akinade, from Ibadan, Oyo State; Sunday Oguntelure from Okitipupa, Ondo state and Kelvin Smith, a native of Kingston, Jamaica. They are all members of an international drug syndicate that the Agency has been trailing since 2018.
The warehouse is located at 6 Olukuola crescent, Solebo estate, Ikorodu, was raided on Sunday, while the barons were picked from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos between Sunday night and Monday.
Preliminary investigation reveals the class A drugs were warehoused in the residential estate from where the cartel was trying to sell them to buyers in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world. They were stored in 10 travel bags and 13 drums.
While commending all the officers and men of the Agency involved in the extensive investigation including those of the American Drug Enforcement Administration, (US-DEA), Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig-Gen Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), said the bust is a historical blow to the drug cartels and a strong warning that they’ll all go down if they fail to realise that the game has changed.
olusola Bello