Troops Reject N12m Bribe, Arrest Smugglers In Ogun

Troops of 192 Battalion, 81 Division, Nigerian Army have arrested two transnational drug smugglers with 296 wraps of illicit substance suspected to be cannabis sativa in Ogun State.

The troops, the army authorities said, rejected a N12 million bribe by the suspects and arrested them.

The director, Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, said the troops acted on credible intelligence and intercepted the transnational drug syndicate in a Sienna 2001 Model Space Bus, with registration number Lagos APP 129 EF.

He said the vehicle was loaded with illicit substances, suspected to be cannabis sativa.

The army spokesperson added that the suspects were arrested along Balogun border in Ogun State on Sunday, January 14, 2024.

Nwachukwu said the troops while conducting a thorough search on the vehicle detected layers of compartments packed with the 296 wraps of substance suspected to be marijuana.

He said preliminary investigation revealed that the illicit substances were being transported from Benin Republic through Ilara border communities en route Ifo in Ogun State.

Nwachukwu said, “It was further revealed that it took the transnational drug traffickers five months to conceal the substance for delivery to their clients.”

The suspects, according to him, had been taken into custody for further necessary actions, after a failed attempt to bribe troops with N12 million.

He identified the suspects as one Mr Adigun Olatunji, age 54 years and Mr Michael Atanda aged 18 years, both from Ilara Imeko in Afon local government area of Ogun State, but live in Benin Republic.

Other items recovered from them included one Benin Republic National identity (ID) card, one Nigerian National ID card and two small Itel mobile phones.

Others are one Benin Republic driver’s licence, a Benin Republic international passport, six Benin Republic SIM packs, two Benin Republic SIM cards, one Nigerian driver’s licence, one power bank and one MP3 player.

The troops also recovered a memory card, local charms, as well as the sum of N52,700 only from the suspects.

The army spokesman said the suspects and all the recovered items recovered were in safe custody pending handover to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for the prosecution of the suspects.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, who commended the troops for their vigilance and commitment, charged them to sustain the tempo in the interest of national security.

LEADERSHIP reports that troops of the Battalion have in recent times made huge operational breakthroughs that led to the confiscation of a large cache of ammunition and illicit substances across the Nigerian and Benin Republic border on November 12, 2023.