The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 49-year-old man, Innocent Ekpe, who allegedly impersonated a senior police officer to transport illicit drugs across states. Ekpe was arrested on Wednesday, September 16, along the Benin-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba, Delta State, with 292.48 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in his silver Toyota Sienna bus. The NDLEA said Ekpe had been parading himself as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), using a forged police identification card.
Investigations revealed that Ekpe used his fake identity to escape scrutiny at checkpoints while ferrying illicit consignments. A 39-year-old accomplice, Nduka Joseph, was also arrested alongside him. The arrests formed part of a series of intelligence-led operations across Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). These operations led to the interception of more than 1.3 million pills and capsules of tramadol and other opioids, as well as about 6,000 kilogrammes of cannabis.
The NDLEA’s operations also led to the seizure of a large consignment of Canadian Loud at the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos. The 603.75kg shipment, comprising 1,200 parcels of the potent cannabis strain, was valued at N1.81 billion. The consignment arrived from Montreal, Canada, on September 12, in a 40-foot container containing two Toyota Sienna vehicles. NDLEA operatives placed the container under surveillance before conducting a joint physical examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
The search uncovered the drugs concealed in 31 black jumbo bags loaded inside the vehicles. In another operation in Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided an auto-repair workshop on Agbor Road, Benin City, where they arrested 45-year-old Matthew Ossai. The agency said Ossai allegedly used his workshop as a front for storing illicit drugs. Recovered from the premises were 48kg of Canadian Loud, 152 grammes of methamphetamine, and a metal box used to store the substances.
In Niger State, operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway at Chachi, Tafa Local Government Area, on Tuesday, September 15, arrested three young men identified as Bashir Usman, 20; Abubakar Nuhu, 18; and Abdulrahman Abdulwahab, 18. The suspects were allegedly found with two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and a magazine, a locally made pistol with a magazine, and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed in a black travel bag.
Meanwhile, two suspects, Aminu Isyaku, 23, and Jamilu Habibu, 25, were arrested on Friday, September 18, along the Abaji-Abuja Highway. The NDLEA said operatives recovered more than 1.1 million assorted tramadol tablets and capsules, codeine syrup, methamphetamine, and Exol tablets concealed in eight sacks being transported from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Mararaba, Nasarawa State. In Lagos, one Onyeka Ofor was arrested at his residence in Aguda, Surulere, on September 18, with 48,900 pills of tramadol 225mg.
The NDLEA also intercepted seven cartons of cannabis sativa weighing 59kg at a logistics company, leading to the arrest of a suspect, Luke Ugokwe. The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, stated that the operations were part of the NDLEA’s efforts to curb the trafficking of illicit substances. The seized substances have a combined street value exceeding N3.4 billion. The NDLEA continues to intensify its efforts to combat drug trafficking across the country.
Key points
- - The NDLEA arrested a 49-year-old man impersonating a police officer with 292.48kg of skunk in Delta State. - The agency seized a 603.75kg shipment of Canadian Loud at the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos, valued at N1.81 billion. - The NDLEA intercepted over 1.3 million pills and capsules of tramadol and other opioids, as well as about 6,000 kilogrammes of cannabis, with a combined street value exceeding N3.4 billion.
