How we discovered five illicit drug companies in Lagos--Aliyu

Sule Aliyu has been wonderful in the Lagos State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, and since coming into the Command, as its commander, he has not failed to live up to his avowed resolve to clean Lagos State of illicit drugs by launching aggressive methodology in the fight against drug traffickers and barons. In the last three years, he has been able to discover five clandestine illicit drug factories built by Nigerians and their foreign collaborators. This achievement is a no mean achievement. Over 30 tons of illicit drugs of various shapes and size have been taking away from circulation and more than 1000 suspects arrested and prosecuted with over 70 convicts in the last three years. In this interview, the soft-spoken drug czar tells Emeka Ibemere; how he has managed to secure drug-education into the Lagos State educational curriculum as a subject, including making sure that all the schools in the state established Drug-Free Clubs in an attempt to sensitize the public about the death threats of illicit drugs. This is what he told our correspondent:    

We have been following your operational activities and how you have been trying to clean Lagos State of illicit killer drugs. We want to know the motivational force behind your resolve?

When we talk of motivation, I can say we draw our motivation from the Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade, in one hand and on the other hand, we draw our motivation from the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Raji Babatunde Fashola, because he is ever ready to listen to us. Whenever we have complains or challenges, we go to him and he will gladly proffer solution to us. If you look at Lagos State, it has difficult terrain. Some terrains are so difficult that if you tend to clean it, we cannot alone achieve it unless we have other stakeholders to join hand with us. I could remember a time a petition was written on Akala Street in Mushin area of Lagos State, that petition was sent to almost all the security agencies in Lagos State, but immediately our Chairman received his own copy, he called me and said that I should go and clean that place immediately. I know it’s a difficult terrain because, I started here as an officer from the rank of Assistant Superintendents when I was posted to Lagos State in 1991. I know all the areas in Lagos and I know the area to be a difficult terrain. So I now called on all other stakeholders, the police, the army, the Navy and others. We planned our operation and stormed the area and on that day we intercepted over 3 tons of cannabis on that area and that was last year. And not only had that picked over 40 drug traffickers and barons on that street alone. I tell you if you go to that Akala now, it’s almost a safe haven now. People are enjoying the area now because we were able to clean it.

Yes, that reminds us of your last operation there in Mushin, earlier this year. We learnt that there were casualties recorded in that operation involving your officers and the Mushin drug cartel gang. What actually happened in that raid?

 People can say whatever they want to say. You see some of the times; it comes as a distraction from the people who wouldn’t want us to be there. I tell you, even a fly we didn’t kill. And there was no report from any family that his relation was killed. My men came back and I counted my arms and the ammunition was complete. You know if a gun is used and the only way was to smell the barrel and when we conducted that, no bullet was fired, nobody was hit and nobody was killed. People don’t want us to go there and they create stories just to scare us from doing our work. But we cannot be scared by that kind of blackmail.

Apart from Mushin, which other area is giving your command a tough fight to clean?

There is one area in Agege, Akerele area of Agege. We have cleaned that area. The residents of the area are texting us and sending messages thanking us for a job well done. According to them, before once its 10pm, you cannot cross that street or the road. People, I mean Muslims in that area takes their shoes inside the mosque and Christians don’t leave anything outside the church, they take everything inside. If they keep their bags outside, miscreants would just come and take them away but today, we have succeeded in cleaning Akerele because we are repeatedly raiding the street. There are times when we can operate there like three times in a week. In a day, we can go there twice because when you hit a place today, people dealing on illicit drugs and their patronisers, they think that since we raided today, that it would take us another month to raid again. But they don’t know that we can hit the area this morning and in the evening, we hit it again. Like recently, you can see the bags of drugs there, that one you see there is over 300kg and we picked it from Akerele two days ago.

We arrested 21 suspected drug traffickers and users. But the issue is that we are going to sort them out. Some of them are just users that went there to smoke. To us, we see drug users as a sick person, so we offer counselling to them here but the main barons and traffickers we prepare their case files to court for prosecution.

You were also in FESTAC recently and we were aware that something happened there?

We stormed FESTAC few weeks back and we picked 1.6kg of heroine and two suspects have been taking to court. We also went to Idi-Araba three days ago and we picked drugs also. Formerly, when we storm Idi-Araba, you see miscreants attacking us but this time, we prepared very well with enough manpower and arms were enough and we went there and picked the people we went for and leave.

The issue of Methamphetamine factories in Lagos State it’s a big concern. We mean, illicit drug factories are now coming up and are producing drugs in this country. What gave rise to it?

It is a very serious issue. Like I said, prior to 2007, we have been recording this Methamphetamine drugs as drugs going out in Nigeria and it was not coming into Nigeria. At the airport, we have been arresting and seizing this drugs going out of Lagos-Nigeria, but none was coming in. Then the NDLEA management tasked all the commanders to find out where this drug is coming from. We asked is it within or from the neighbouring countries, or states that have border with Lagos State and that we should find out the places this drug was going out from Nigeria. We started combing all the areas of the country and by 2011; the first clandestine laboratory where this Methamphetamine drug was produced was discovered in Iyano-oba, area of Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State. We saw the laboratory, we picked three people there and then we picked over 3kg of the drugs. You see, when we talk about laboratory, there are two kinds of laboratories; the one that produced kilogramme is called super-laboratory and that is why you have kilogrammes produced there. The other one is called ‘mom and pop’ labs. All the existing laboratories we discovered from 2011 to 2013 are five and all of them are super-laboratories where kilogrammes are being produced.

The last one we discovered at the Ajah area of Lekki Lagos, we recovered over 38kilogrammes of Methamphetamine, already produced. We saw the gas chamber producing it and churning out the drugs but in that particular case we saw eight containers set by a Nigerian and because we can allow that reaction to continue, because of the effect it will have on the environment, we have to invite our forensic laboratory to clean the laboratory.

The stop the operation and mop up the area so that the effect wouldn’t affect the place. If you allow me to talk on this Methamphetamine, I will tell you that the issue we are taking on this drug war is that the effect of this Methamphetamine, is not only on the user and it’s not only on the producer, but also on the innocent citizens and the environment. This is because, if you happened to be closer to the laboratory, you are a potential cancer patient.

It’s because when they are producing the drugs, every one kilogramme you produce, you have five kilogrammes of toxic waste, which the producer have to do away with. In a very I kg of Methamphetamine you produce, you have 5kg of toxic, so some of them would dug a hole close to the laboratory and dumped it there. This pollutes the soil system. When it rains, it would wash deeper into the soil and wash it or the acid would destroy it. In some cases, it washes it into the water. Some of them would wait, when there is rainfall, they would bring them out and poured it into the drainage and the drainage would carry in into the rivers, farms and even borehole system and this is affecting the aquatic animals. Then during the production also, there is toxic gas being inhaled through the air. Some of the producers would release the gas in the night, some would use pipe and direct the case in a pull of water so that people would not inhale it, then that toxic gas too, would diffuse into the air and anybody can inhale it. Scientists in a recent research said anybody staying within the radius of one meter, away from the Methamphetamine laboratory is a potential cancer patient. Some most of such substances people take are dangerous. As I talk to you now, most of the suspects arrested in those laboratories are sick because they have been working there unprotected. Even some of our officers, who discovered the laboratories, we have taken them to the hospitals because, the first laboratory we discovered, we cannot clean it because we don’t have the equipment to clean it. We have to call our foreign collaborators to help us clean it, when we were moving nearer to the place, at a certain point of meters to the laboratory, they asked us to stop and we have to stop. They have the equipment to detect the effect of the toxic and immediately we got there they asked us to stop. They told us that if you don’t have the regalia to protect yourself should not advance further. All of us have to stay clear and those of our officers with the regalia followed them to the place. They clean the environment, they clean the laboratory and we left. Thank God now, they have trained our officers and our forensic unit have been trained on how to clean the laboratories. If we discover another one now, NDLEA can clean it.

It seems you have a very strong intelligence team, how manage you were able to train them?

When we are tasked or challenged, the management knows what to do. To be frank with you, we sometimes buy information and sometimes we work like spies. The second laboratory we discovered, one of us went to pick employment with the laboratory owner as a gateman. He was there for six months working as a staff of the place and for that period, he was closing and opening the gates of the company. He used local language to tell you that him that he was looking for job and through somebody, he got the job and for six months, he was opening and closing gates and we monitored this man for six months before we storm the place. These barons learned the laboratory production in abroad; some even bring experts from abroad to Nigeria. The second laboratory, we arrested three Bolivians while in the first laboratory, somebody was brought from Thailand to assist them to do it. Our third way is that we do visit Chemical markets because most of the items they used in producing Methamphetamine drugs are got from these Chemical markets. So what I did was to summon a meeting of chemical dealers in Lagos State with the NDLEA, and we discovered that some of them have all these items because NAFDAC gave them license to deal on them, because some of the chemicals are used in treating water, so we didn’t have problem with them. But what I did was to ask them to be recording every sale they made to whom it was sold to, get their address, and asked them what is for the use of any particular chemicals.  So each time we visit the market, check their records and know the quantities purchased by an individual. If you buy large quantity, we pick the address and placed a tab on that person. There was a person we monitored for three months, but we later discovered that he was producing water chemicals and we left him. So we continue monitoring you to see what you are going to produce with it, so if we don’t see any product coming out from your firm, then we know that you are into Methamphetamine, then we now go for you. This is because, when you see the product going in and there was no product coming out, then we started suspecting you. So, this is how we operate and get intelligence to do our work.

So, what you are saying is, you are still in search of Methamphetamine factories in Lagos State?

We haven’t stopped searching them. Right now, we are monitoring one and we are optimistic that we are going to succeed because, he has purchased the materials and we have placed alert on him but the issue is that they go to interior locality to site these factories. They go to the areas where people wouldn’t suspect them. Two, atimes, they use fast-moving vehicles to convey their materials and immediately they pick they chemicals, if you don’t follow them closely, you won’t be able to catch them. Thirdly, when they pick these chemicals, they don’t go to the laboratories immediately. They tend to keep it somewhere for some days before moving it to the lab. So unless, you stay there for like three or five days, you would never know when they will move it again.

Do you have records of arrests in Lagos State, as we move closer to the half of the year, 2014?

Yes, between January and May, I think we have one tons of cannabis and other subtropics substances add together. We are even saying that our seizure wasn’t too good this year so far because last year, we got close 10 tons of cannabis and other drugs between January to December.

What do you think is the factor making more people to go into cannabis trafficking in Nigeria?

I think it’s the money involved.    

 And don’t you think that the legalization of the drug in America and Europe attracted the money?

I wouldn’t say yes, because the issue was that before, the cannabis were cultivated in some states in Nigeria here, but from the investigations we have conducted, it can be grown in almost all the states now. The atmosphere is conducive for it to grow anywhere.

Have you recorded any convictions this year?

A lot of convictions have been made and we have over 40 convictions from January to May.

The convicts get light sentences is it because cannabis is not a serious drug or what?

The thing is that our assignment ends immediately we handed the case file to the legal department. We investigate, arrest and handover the case file to our lawyers and when they go to the court, and our case ends there. Again the court uses her discretion to sentence them.

Do you think you have done well in Lagos State in mopping illicit drugs out of the state?

I think we have done well so far. If you take a look of our past three years, you will see that there is an improvement in our resolve to clean the state. We have stopped over 30 tons of cannabis and other drugs from being circulated in the state and you know what this quantity could have been if allowed to enter Lagos State. Now, we have come up with a new strategy of going into the drug war. If you look at Lagos State, you will agree with me that cannabis are not cultivated here. We don’t have the farms in Lagos State. In the history of the Agency, we have only discovered two farms-Ikorodu and Epe-Ajah areas of Lagos State. now, since we have that in mind, what we do is that we try to find out where this cannabis are coming from and the only two entry points are the Ibadan-Lagos Express and Ogun-Lagos axis. The Badagry end is the border area, so what we do is that we put the two new vehicles giving to us by the Lagos State government on patrol and one will block the Ibadan-Lagos axis and the other will take the Idi-Oro-axis for us. And because of these blockages, cannabis is not coming into Lagos State. Then the next strategy is; we don’t go after the users. If I’m going after the users, on daily basis we will have over 50,000. Where will I keep them, who will fed them and what will I do with them. The method we adopted is to pick out the dealer and you pick out the drugs out of the circulation. You pick the dealers, you cut off the supply and when you cut off the supply, what will you take if you don’t have cannabis to take? If you see them now, you see them smoking something, it’s not Indian hemp. They call it ‘jadi-jadi medicine’ because if there is short in supply, they look for some other thing to smoke. So, we go after the barons or the dealers and cut of supply.

What has been the level of support from the Lagos government?

It has been encouraging. You see in the methodology of drug control and reduction, you marry two methodologies. First, you cut supply by arresting, seizures and prosecution. The second is sensitizing the people and telling them the effect of some of these drugs and asking them to stay away from drugs. So since we started this fight, we have been arresting and prosecuting and convicting but the problems are still there. So we felt that we should marry the two-sensitization and arrest and prosecution. Talk to people, organize seminars, give then lectures and let them know the death consequences of these drugs. Tell them how drugs can cut short a young chap’s ambition and the Lagos State government has been tremendously wonderful in this regards. We sent a proposal to them that we want to be in all the schools in Lagos State both universities and colleges of education and Polytechnics and they agreed with us and we are waiting for them approve it official before we kick-off. We are going to establish ‘Drug-Free Clubs’ in all the education institutions in Lagos State, so that they would be our eyes there.

Is there any way you could enter the ministry of education to make ‘drug-education’ a compulsory subject in the Lagos State curriculum just like the much touted ‘sex-education’?

It is already in the curriculum. We have succeeded in doing that. Drug education is taught in most of the schools now in Lagos State as a subject.

What is your advice to youths in drugs both as a dealer and as a user?

To me and to the general public, its high time they knew that drug is evil, it kills it cuts people’s ambition and dreams. There some addicts here we are counselling, I would have called them out now for you to speak with them but it’s not allowed. This particular boy is very brilliant, a man that has ambition but it has been cut short but we are trying to bring him back to normal. So drug is evil and they should stay away. The youths should know that they are the leaders of tomorrow and as the future leaders of this country, we cannot afford to toil with their future and that is while we are telling them to come out of the drugs. Should you experience with drugs, you cannot leave it, so it’s better not to go into it. And for those who are dealing on it, I want them to know that every day is for the thief but one day is for the owner of the house. And when you are caught, we prosecute you and there is one thing they don’t know, that once you are caught and prosecuted, and convicted that conviction is for life and you can never become anybody in this country. You cannot contest election, you cannot be employed and as an ex-convict, you are finished because of that stigma. The other people are the landlords and the landladies in Lagos State. Most of these Methamphetamine factories in Lagos State are cited in rented apartments. Then why should you give your apartment to somebody who is coming to cut short the ambition of your children and destroy your children and your environment for you. Some of the times when we go for raid, it’s the residents of that area that would attack us, damage our vehicles. I have started meeting the traditional rulers to see what we can do to the landlords and the communities. Drug war is a collective responsibility. All of us have to join hands and fight it or else, it would be dangerous. The communities can form their own drug-free clubs and if you cannot fight them send information to us. We don’t disclose the identity of our informants. If you have information about Methamphetamine factories in Lagos State or a drug trafficker tell us and we will work to clean the area.