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National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has said that Nine Ghanaians arrested for attempting to smuggle 10,843.95kgs cannabis into Nigeria through the sea were on Friday 14th Oct convicted and sentenced to 72 years imprisonment.
The Agency Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statent in Abuja on Sunday, said that they were initially arrested by men of the Civil Defence Corps and transferred to NDLEA for further investigation and prosecution. At the conclusion of investigations, they were arraigned in charge number FHC/L/292C/2021. Delivering his ruling in the matter on Friday, Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court, Lagos convicted the Ghanaians of conspiracy and dealing in cannabis and thereafter sentenced each of them to eight years in prison.
The convicts include: Victor Wuddah; Freeman Gazul; Adotete Joseph; Sottie Moses; Sottie Stephen; Christian Tette; Kanu Okonipa; Daniel Koyepti; and Kanu Natte.
Babafemi also said the Agency arrested a pregnant nursing mother and a 200-level university student were among 28 persons arrested with 9,437.6 kilograms of cannabis and 138,053 tablets of pharmaceutical opioids among others by its operatives during interdiction operations.
According to him the suspects were arrested across 12 states: Yobe, Ondo, Edo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Kaduna, Kwara, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He added that in the Abuja, operatives on Saturday 15th October stormed a village known as Chukuku, which is about 10 kilometers from Gwagwalada where they raided a large cannabis warehouse.
” A total of 510 jumbo bags of the illicit substance weighing 5, 640kgs were recovered from the store and a nursing mother in charge, Sa’adatu Abdullahi, 35, was arrested.”
Also he said that in Yobe, operatives intercepted 48kgs of cannabis in Buni Yadi, they also raided a location in Potiskum where they recovered 56 blocks (31kgs) from two suspects: Mohammed Mamuda and a married pregnant woman, Hauwa Haruna.
Furthermore, he said at least, 99 bags of cannabis and three bags of its seeds weighing 1,286kgs were seized on Thursday 13th Oct when operatives raided a location in Ogbese area of Ondo state, while another raid at Umukpe forest in Uhunmonde council area of Edo state led to the seizure of 410kgs of the same substance in addition to a motorcycle, two dane guns and the arrest of two suspects: Numga Anim, 30, and Friday Ebije, 50.
“Not less than 50 bags of C/S weighing
623kgs were also recovered at Ekpom village in Igueben LGA with the arrest of the owner, Lucky Henry, 30, while another suspect, Ndidi Esegine, 52, was nabbed at Ugbodo forest, Ovia North East LGA with 266.8kgs C/S on Tuesday 11th Oct. Two days later, operatives stormed Uzebba forest in Owan West LGA to destroy four cannabis farms where two suspects: Ezekiel Raphael and Gideon Bassey were arrested with a total of 223.5kgs processed C/S recovered.”
Babafemi further added that a stop and search operation along the East/West road, in Ahoada area of Rivers state has led to the recovery of 251.4kgs of C/S in a gold colour Toyota Sienna bus with Reg No – Abuja YAB 70 BR, and a suspect, Segun Ajayi arrested, while 161.4kgs were equally recovered, from an ash colour Toyota Camry saloon car with Reg No- Abuja RBC 590 BQ.
In Akwa Ibom state, attempt by a trans-border trafficker, Edet Osu James, 44, to export 2.4kgs cocaine concealed in two large tins of powdered milk to Cameroon was foiled by officers of the Marine unit of the Agency on Thursday 13th Oct during an outward clearance of vessels going to Cameroon from Oron. In Imo state, no fewer than 10,690 pills of tramadol were intercepted during stop and search operations along Owerri-Onitsha road with three suspects: Saadu Usman; Godwin Emeka and Emeka Obijihe arrested in follow-up efforts on Thursday 13th Oct. Interestingly, Emeka Obijihe was already standing trial for a similar offence for which he was arrested on 9th May 2022 and wa
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