Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, Monday, congratulated the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on the recent very successful operation of the Agency leading to the smashing of international drug syndicate and recovery of 1,855kilograms of cocaine.
In a telephone call to the Chairman of the anti-narcotics agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), from New York where he is attending the 77th session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 77), the President said that the news of the recovery gladdens his heart.
This was contained in statement released to newsmen by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.
According to the President, “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”, he said.
At a meeting later with members of his delegation, Nigerian President said, “Buba Marwa is doing well. Two tonnes of cocaine, that’s a haul.”
The NDLEA had announced the “highest cocaine seizure” worth over 278 million dollars and arrest of drug barons including a foreigner in a major operation lasting two days across different locations in Lagos.
Meanwhile, the Drug Agency on Monday busted a major warehouse where 1.8tons of illicit drugs worth over $278, 250,000, an equivalent of about N194, 775, 000, 000 in street value were seized in a secluded estate in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
The Agency Spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, said at least four drug barons including a Jamaican and the warehouse manager were arrested in the well coordinated and intelligence led operation that lasted two days across different locations in the state.
Kingpins of the cocaine cartel now in custody include Messrs Soji Jibril, 69, an indigene of Ibadan, Oyo State; Emmanuel Chukwu, 65, who hails from Ekwulobia, Anambra State; Wasiu Akinade, 53, from Ibadan, Oyo State; Sunday Oguntelure, 53, from Okitipupa, Ondo State, and Kelvin Smith, 42, a native of Kingston, Jamaica.
Babafemi said, “They are all members of an international drug syndicate that the agency has been trailing since 2018.
Located at number 6 Olukuola crescent, Solebo Estate, Ikorodu, the warehouse was raided on Sunday, September 18, 2022, while the barons were picked from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos between Sunday night and Monday, September 19.
“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.”