Abuja, Nov. 5, 2023 -The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it had arrested three blind men operating an illicit drug ring between Lagos and Kano.
Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA Spokesman, said in a statement on Sunday that the lid was blown off the group following the arrest of a blind suspect, 40-year-old Adamu Hassan, along Gwagwalada expressway Abuja with 12kgs of skunk on his way from Lagos to Kano on Saturday on 28th October.
He said investigations revealed that the man was totally oblivious of the content of the bag handed to him to deliver in Kano.
Babafemi said follow-up operations then led to the arrest of the leader of the syndicate, Bello Abubakar, 45, who is also blind.
In his statement, Bello who is married with five children said he has been living in Lagos for 30 years, but started the illicit drug business five years ago.
Another suspect, Muktar Abubakar, 59, who is equally blind has been living in Lagos for 40 years and married to three wives with 14 children.
The NDLEA said both Muktar Abubakar and Bello Abubakar were joint owners of the business, while the third suspect, Akilu Amadu, 25, also blind, equally contributed money to the trade and was indeed the one who delivered the consignment to Adamu at the motor park in Lagos
“Another blind suspect who is the expected receiver of the consignment in Kano, Mallam Aminu is currently at large,” the NDLEA stated.
The NDLEA said it had also recovered about 14,481,519 pills of Tramadol and bottles of codeine syrup worth over N13 billion in street value in three major busts of drug cartels operating in Amuwo Odofin, Idumota and the SAHCO shed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The NDLEA said the three intelligence-led operations began with the raid of House 8/10 Hon. Wahuha Avenue, Divine Estate, Ago Palace area of Amuwo Odofin on Sunday. Oct. 29, where 490,000 pills of tramadol and 81,519 bottles of codeine syrup measuring 4,510,000mls were recovered.
In a similar operation on Tuesday, Oct. 31, NDLEA operatives swooped on a secret warehouse operated by a billionaire Idumota trader, Nwaoha Anayo, located at Onitire, Aguda area of Surulere where 12,700,000 pills of tramadol were recovered. (GBN)
