By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – A 90-year-old man has been arrested by the he National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for selling drugs to youths in Rimi Local Government Area (LGA) of Katsina State.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, said this on Friday, July 9, 2021, in Abuja.
Babafemi, in a press statement, said the suspect, Yusuf Yarkadir, confessed he had been selling cannabis sativa to youths in his community for eight years.
According to Babafemi, the suspect, who refused to disclose his source of supply, however, vowed not to return to the business after his arrest.
He added that the suspect added that he tried unsuccessfully in the past to stop the illicit trade.
In a related incident, narcotic officers in Ondo State command of the agency have arrested two teenage siblings along with other suspects for dealing in assorted illicit drugs in the state capital, Akure.
Babafemi said the teenagers; Onyema Sunday, 16, and his sister, Onyema Amaka, 15, were arrested in Car Street area of Akure with 1.894 kg of Tramadol on Monday, July 5.
The NDLEA Spokesman also said a 23-year-old boy, Kazeem Oluyede, was nabbed in Eru Oba area of the capital city with 300grams of cannabis and 3grams of methamphetamine.
A lady, Maryam Musa, 35, was also arrested in Igbara-Oke, Ifedore local council area of the state with 5.5kg of cannabis, on the same day, he added.
Babafemi also said in Ondo State, following credible intelligence and surveillance, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday July 7, stormed the Ogbese Market, in Akure North LGA, where one Jalamia Ochonogor and Austin Uzoka were arrested with 63kg of cannabis.
He reported that at least seven persons were arrested and 28.091 kg of assorted drugs such as Diazepam, Exol-5, Rophynol, Tramadol, Codeine, and cannabis recovered from them in Bauchi State.
In Bauchi State, the agency apprehended Sunday Obi, Abba Abdullahi, Samuel John, Chijioke Agu, Sani Musa, Alhaji Alhaji Baffa and Abubakar Saidu.
Meanwhile, different quantities of illicit drugs being transported to the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand have been intercepted and seized.
The arrest and seizures were made by narcotic officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations, (DOGI) attached to some courier companies in Lagos.
The statements alleged that one of the courier firms concealed 400 grams of Ketamine hidden in walls of hair attachments carton coming from Cameroon and heading to the US, which was seized.
“Others include: 30grams of Tramadol concealed in female headgear coming from Onitsha, Anambra state and going to the UK.
“200grams of Ketamine from Cameroon going to USA; and 400grams of Methamphetamine from Asaba, Delta state heading to New Zealand, ” he said.
According to him, the Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retired), commended the officers and men of Katsina, Ondo and Bauchi Commands, as well as DOGI, for their vigilance and commitment to ridding every community in Nigeria of the menace of drug abuse and trafficking.
He charged them not to relent and to continue to raise the bar in the ongoing offensive against the scourge and the cartels behind them.