NDLEA raids Osun ‘unholy alliance’ drug party, arrests organisers

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) have raided a lounge in Osogbo, the Osun state, where a night party organised for illicit substance abuse was scheduled and arrested some of the organizers, who were found with drug exhibits.

The agency said it acted on credible intelligence that some persons were going to hold a night party tagged: “Unholy Alliance…for Stoners and Drunkards”, where different types of illicit substances would be sold and consumed by patrons.

Shortly after the organisers began to gather at Berrymist lounge located at Ofatedo area of Osogbo to start the party, NDLEA operatives swooped on them, arrested them and recovered illicit substances of abuse and drug paraphernalia from them.

Those arrested include Ikotu Omolayo, (25); Fola Olabode, (30) and Akorede Adunni Ajibola, (22). The management of the lounge has also been invited for further investigation.

The arrest comes on the heels of an earlier raid on November 23, at ‘Area 5’ forest reserve, Ile-Ife, where operatives recovered 156 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa.

MEANWHILE, operatives of the agency in Ogun state on November 24, arrested two suspects; Adamu Ibrahim and Nura Sani at Ileke trailer garage, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, where 859 kilograms of cannabis sativa concealed among bags of sugar in a truck for onward transportation to Mokwa, Niger state.

The consignment was loaded in Ogbese, Ondo state and hidden among bags of cement in a truck before being trans-loaded into another trailer bearing sugar in Ogun state.

In Edo state, operatives on November 20, stormed a warehouse at Obi Camp in Owan West local council, where they recovered 338 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in sacks of charcoal, while in another operation in Ikhin forest, Owan East local council, NDLEA officers seized 235 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance on November 25.

A suspect, one Onah Kenneth Ikechukwu, (32), was arrested at Jattu, Etsako West local council with 11,690 capsules of tramadol, 295 bottles of codeine syrup and various quantities of Molly, Cannabis and Methamphetamine on November 22.

Also, in Lagos on November 22 at Enu Owa Street, Lagos Island, the agency raid led to the recovery of 40,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 440,000 pills of tramadol in a store belonging to a suspect, Ebuka Amechi, who is currently at large.

Not less than 135,600 capsules of tramadol and 950 grammes of cannabis were seized from two suspects: Afamefuna Ibekwe, (37), and Sunday Onweh, (41), at Nkpor, Akuzor and Ose-Ogbaijo, Onitsha, respectively.

In Onitsha, Anambra state, 37,360 pills of different opioids and 250 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered via Anambra-enroute Abuja from one Muhammed Abba Khamis, (22), on November 23, 2023 along Okene- Lokoja-Abuja expressway. Similarly, operatives in Ekiti state seized a total of 288 kilogrammes of cannabis at Odo-Owa forest in Ijero local council on November 25. At least 116 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance were seized from a suspect, Chinagoram Obaru, (24), who was arrested at Iju forest.

In the same vein, NDLEA’s Commands across the 36 states and the FCT equally continued their War Against Drug Abuse, (WADA), sensitisation lectures in schools, communities, work places and others.

Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and staff of Comprehensive High School, Abia, Udi LGA, Enugu; teachers and students of Dr. Nuhu Sanusi Junior/Senior Secondary School, Dutse, Jigawa; students of Haneef High School, Jos, Plateau; students of Akinorun Muslim Grammar School and others.

Speaking on the arrests, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired), charged operatives and their compatriots across formations to remain vigilant and double their efforts especially with the desperation of criminal networks to make money by all means at the yuletide.