NDLEA begins serious crackdown on drug traffickers

Emeka Ibemere

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) may have begun a serious crackdown of drug barons and traffickers in and around Lagos State metropolis in an attempt to keep the State free from drug running and abuse.

 Last week, the Lagos State Command of the agency and military officers ransacked Lagos State in an official raid in search of drug barons and their drugs.

The joint operation embarked upon was very successful as 15 suspected drug traffickers were apprehended with 680.266kg of narcotic drugs mainly cannabis.

Among the recovered drugs were 316 grammes of methamphetamine and 200 grammes of heroin while others are cannabis.

The areas covered by the raid are Akala, in Mushin local Government Area, Akerele in Surulere area of Lagos and Agege, Lagos.

The NDLEA Lagos Commander, Mr Aliyu Sule said that the operation was in response to intelligence report received on the affected locations.

“We daily collect and process information on the activities of drug traffickers and conduct raid when it is expedient. The total weight of drugs seized is 680.266kg. Those apprehended are being investigated and very soon they will be charged to court”, Aliyu stated.

The Army Commander in charge of 9 Brigade, Brigadier General Adeniyi Oyebade assured the NDLEA that he would always provide army officers whenever their support is required. In his words, “the Nigeria Army will continue to lend its support to the anti-drug campaign. The level of success anytime we go on joint operations encourages us to deepen our relationship with the NDLEA” Oyebade stated.

 NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade thanked the Brigade Commander for his continuous support to the Agency.

“The support from the Nigeria Army is commendable. We shall continue to conduct similar raid operations on locations where drugs are sold and abused. This partnership with the Army shall be sustained and strengthened. The last joint operation we carried out in June 2013, led to the seizure of 3,166.15kg and arrests of 47 suspects. The Agency will not relent in this all-important fight against the scourge of narcotics” Giade stated.

 The NDLEA boss explained that experts are of the opinion that criminal acts like rape, murder, armed robbery and terrorism are aggravated by substance abuse. He also urged members of the public to be vigilant and report suspected drug cases to the nearest NDLEA office. NDLEA didn’t disclose the name of the suspects arrested but a source said most of the suspects are mainly motor- park touts, miscreants, street urchins and some members of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport workers. The suspects are cooling their heels at the National Aviation Handling Company (NACHO), Shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, and Lagos State.

As if that wasn’t enough, the officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled an attempt by a thirty-eight (38) year-old single mother to smuggle 645 grammes of cocaine hidden in a female hand bag out of the country to Turkey. The arrest was made at the departure hall of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos during the outward screening of passengers on a Turkish airline flight.

NDLEA Airport Commander, Hamza Umar who gave the name of the suspect as Ezeji Ulomma said that preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect invested 2.3 million naira into the illicit drug transaction. “One Ezeji Ulomma a single mother was found in possession of powdery substance that tested positive to cocaine on her way to Turkey. We also gathered that she invested 2.3 million naira in the drug deal in anticipation of high profit. The drug which was carefully hidden in her hand bag was detected during screening of passengers” Hamza stated.

According to the suspect, she was convinced to invest in the drug business because of the high profit involved. In her words, “I am a trader. I import ladies hand bags, shoes and clothes. I used to make little profit in my business. My boyfriend told me that I can make four times my capital in one successful drug deal. He has been persuading me for long but I was afraid that I may be arrested. I decided to give it a trial to expand my capital base. They concealed the drug in the hand bag while I contributed 2.3 million naira. Somebody was to receive the drug in Turkey and give me my share of the money with which I had planned to buy goods in France”.

 

Ulomma hails from Imo State. She attended Ata Girls Secondary School Mbaitolu and relocated to Lagos since 2008.

Satisfied with the arrest, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade said that those who wish to make money from drug trafficking will end up disappointed like the suspect. “The Agency is not oblivious of the tricks employed by drug traffickers. As the end of year is approaching, we are prepared to counter all plans of drug cartels. Just like Ezeji Ulomma, anyone planning to smuggle drugs in anticipation of becoming rich will only end up in prison custody” Giade stated. “The suspect will be charged to court soon”.

However, the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) has been linked with ten (10) International Airports around the globe for real time exchange of intelligence. This followed the successful launch of Airport Communication Project (AIRCOP) at the Lagos airport on Monday November 4, 2013.

The project is jointly supported by the Nigerian Government, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Canadian Government, European Union, United States, INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO).

Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade during the inauguration ceremony of the Joint Airport Interdiction Task Force (JAITF) said the journey towards this laudable project was born out of the desire to make the airport more impregnable to drug barons.

“The government of Nigeria in search of how to make our airports more impregnable to drug barons had on 13^th October 2010 entered into an Agreement with the UNODC Regional Office for West and Central Africa. The project provides secure and direct connections with vetted units in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America” the Chairman stated. The thirty-six member Joint Task force (JAITF) headed by NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Mr Hamza Umar has its membership drawn from NDLEA, Customs Service, Police, Immigration and Department of State Security. They have also undergone a specialized training in preparation for the onerous task ahead.

 Giade who was represented by his Special Assistant, Mr Suleiman Ningi said that the project will increase drug interdiction capacity at the airport. In his words, “the connection of Lagos Airport to International database and communication networks will facilitate real time transmission and exchange of intelligence among members. This will empower our country to intercept illicit shipment of drugs, materials as well as curtail transnational crime”.

UNODC representative who is the Project coordinator, Mr Marc Vanhulle said the project is targeted at covering the entire trans-Atlantic route for trafficking drugs from Latin America to Europe through Africa. “West Africa is recognized as a transit area for cocaine trafficking between Latin America and Europe. More recently, the area has also become a centre for methamphetamine production and has been increasing drug use locally” Vanhulle stated.

According to Vanhulle, “an integrated regional approach like project AIRCOP is critical in addressing the borderless threats of drugs and crime. A regional response also helps to ensure that as enforcement and criminal justice succeeds in one place, the problems are not merely displaced from one place to another”.

The initial training was done by experts from the Belgian Federal Police and the British Border Force. Already, during a pilot test operation, 8 arrests in six cases involving heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine were recorded.

 Giade who described the result as very encouraging assured Nigerians of improved drug control techniques. “The Agency will continue to embrace innovative strategies and programmes targeted at advancing our performance. AIRCOP is also a unifying force that promotes inter-Agency collaboration because its membership is drawn from various security Agencies”. The NDLEA boss called on the Task Force members to justify the confidence reposed in them.  Some benefits of AIRCOP include information sharing, coordination of counter-narcotic operations, full access to international criminal databases, crime alerts as well as analytical tools provided by INTERPOL.