The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos State, has intercepted a total of 34,950 capsules of Tramadol and Diazepam suspected to be heading to insurgents’ camps in Borno State.
Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi said on Saturday in Abuja that a 25-year-old Mohammed Isah, recruited to move the drugs from Lagos to Borno was arrested on Tuesday 1st June 2021 at SD Motors park, Agege, Lagos State.
He said that Isah was arrested with 12, 390 capsules of Tramadol weighing 4.8kg and 22,560 tablets of Diazepam weighing 14kg, bringing the total weight of the exhibits to 18.8kg.
According to him, under interrogation, the suspect who hails from Mandara Mountain, Ashgashia, in Gwoza LGA, Borno State said he came to Lagos in 2013 and started life with riding commercial motorcycle (Okada), then tricycle (Keke Marwa) and currently drives township bus from Ikeja to Ojota.
The suspect said that on Friday, 28 May, one Kakali Abubakar who also hails from Mandara Mountain invited him to see him at Ezekiel Street, Ikeja, where he gave him the assignment of transporting the drugs to Maiduguri for a fee of N50, 000, which he accepted.
He said Kakali advised him to either board a Tanker or Trailer from Lagos to Maiduguri to avoid being caught and that though he agreed, he later opted to travelled in a bus operated by SD Motors from Lagos to Kano and then take another vehicle to Maiduguri.
“The suspect claims he accepted the offer because of the monetary benefit due to pressure on his finances as his wife and three children displaced by Boko Haram activities are currently in a refugee camp in Maiduguri.
“Investigations revealed that before Mohammed’s arrest, Kakali had travelled out of Lagos to Maiduguri to await the arrival of the consignment,” Babafemi said.
Reacting to the development, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the officers and men of the Lagos State Command of the agency for their vigilance and blocking such volume of drugs from getting to Borno State, which is currently the hotbed of insurgency in the country.
He also asked them to remain proactive and committed to the agency’s common goal.
