The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a pregnant woman, a nursing mother and a 200-level university student for dealing in illegal drugs.
The NDLEA said the suspects were among 28 persons arrested with 9,437.6 kilograms of cannabis and 138,053 tablets of pharmaceutical opioids among others by operatives of the NDLEA during interdiction operations across 12 states: Yobe, Ondo, Edo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Kaduna, Kwara, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said in the FCT, operatives on Saturday, October 15, stormed a village known as Chukuku, which is about 10 kilometers from Gwagwalada where they raided a large cannabis warehouse.
A total of 510 jumbo bags of the illicit substance weighing 5, 640kgs were recovered from the store and a nursing mother in charge, Sa’adatu Abdullahi, 35, was arrested.
In Yobe, while operatives intercepted 48kgs of cannabis in Buni Yadi, they also raided a location in Potiskum where they recovered 56 blocks (31kgs) from two suspects: Mohammed Mamuda and a married pregnant woman, Hauwa Haruna.
Also, a 200-level student of Mass Communication at National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Ms. Mercy Nyong, 30, was on Wednesday, October 12, arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos for attempting to export 300grams of tramadol 225mg concealed in incense products going to Dubai, UAE.
Meanwhile, nine Ghanaians arrested for attempting to smuggle 10,843.95kgs cannabis into Nigeria through the sea were on Friday, October 14, convicted and sentenced to 72 years imprisonment.
They were initially arrested by men of the Civil Defence Corps and transferred to NDLEA for further investigation and prosecution.
At the conclusion of investigations, they were arraigned in charge number FHC/L/292C/2021.
Delivering his ruling in the matter on Friday, Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted the Ghanaians of conspiracy and dealing in cannabis and thereafter sentenced each of them to eight years in prison.
The convicts include: Victor Wuddah; Freeman Gazul; Adotete Joseph; Sottie Moses; Sottie Stephen; Christian Tette; Kanu Okonipa; Daniel Koyepti; and Kanu Natte.
