Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a suspected drug trafficker, Egwu Phillip Inya, a building engineer, while attempting to receive illicit drugs concealed in imported pressure machines.
This was confirmed in a statement signed by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, and shared on the Agency’s website on Sunday.
According to the statement, the arrest occurred on Monday, December 2, 2024, at Okeyson Motor Park in Enugu.
Inya, 42, was apprehended when he arrived to collect three pressure machines containing 7.4 kilogrammes of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
The statement said, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, arrested a suspected drug trafficker, Egwu Phillip Inya, who claims to be a building engineer while attempting to take delivery of illicit consignments concealed in pressure machines imported from South Africa.
“The 42-year-old was arrested on Monday, December 2, 2024, at Okeyson Motor Park, Enugu, when he showed up to collect three units of pressure machines, inside which were hidden parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 7.4 kilogrammes.”
The illicit consignments arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on November 29, 2024. Acting on intelligence, NDLEA’s MMIA Strategic Command tracked the shipment through customs clearance to a logistics warehouse outside the airport. The intended collection point was unexpectedly moved to Enugu, where Inya was arrested during a follow-up operation.
The statement added, “The consignments arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos import shed on November 29, 2024. Following credible intelligence, officers of the MMIA Strategic Command of the Agency monitored the shipment through the clearing process to a logistics company’s warehouse outside the airport, where it was to be collected by the consignee.
“However, the importer changed the point of collection to Enugu at the last minute. As a result, NDLEA operatives, in a follow-up operation in Enugu, arrested Inya when he showed up to collect the consignments.”
In a related operation on December 6, NDLEA officers in Adamawa State seized 511,000 pills of tramadol from a Siena vehicle near Hildi, Askira Uba.
The vehicle’s occupants abandoned the car after noticing they were being pursued by NDLEA operatives.
The statement said, “No fewer than 511,000 pills of tramadol were recovered from a Siena vehicle at Hildi, Askira Uba, in Adamawa State by NDLEA operatives on patrol along the road in the early hours of Friday, December 6. The occupants of the vehicle made a detour upon sighting the NDLEA team and, after a distance, abandoned the vehicle with the consignments when they realized the operatives were on their trail.”
In Ekiti State, two suspects, Olanrewaju Alale, 48, and Babatunde Kayode Ijadahun, 55, were arrested on the Ise-Emure Road while transporting 1,323 kilogrammes of cannabis in a J5 bus.
The statement added, “In Ekiti State, two suspects, Olanrewaju Alale, 48, and Babatunde Kayode Ijadahun, 55, were arrested along Ise-Emure Road in a J5 bus marked EPE 958 XJ while transporting 108 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 1,323 kilogrammes to Owo, Ondo State. From there, they claimed the consignment would be moved to the North for distribution. Another suspect, Adekunle Yusuf, 33, was nabbed by NDLEA operatives with 704 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance, concealed in white sacks on Friday, December 6, at Idere Road, Igboora, Oyo State.”
Further arrests took place in Lagos State. On December 6, NDLEA operatives apprehended a 65-year-old grandmother, Ramata Bola Adeyemo, at 62 Odunfa Street, Lagos Island, recovering 20.6 litres of codeine-based syrup. Additionally, on December 5, Alhaji Lawan Manga was arrested on Ogundana Street, Ikeja, with 4.7 kilogrammes of cannabis and 1.3 kilograms of tramadol.
The statement said, “In Lagos, a grandmother, 65-year-old Ramata Bola Adeyemo, was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Friday, December 6, at 62 Odunfa Street, Lagos Island, where 20.6 litres of codeine-based syrup were recovered from her.
“Also arrested in Lagos was Alhaji Lawan Manga, who was picked up at Ogundana Street, Ikeja, on Thursday, December 5, with 4.7 kg of cannabis and 1.3 kg of tramadol.”
The PUNCH
