By Abiola Olawale
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a suspect, identified as Ajiboye Damilare Samuel (a.k.a Na God), over alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
The NDLEA had declared Ajiboye wanted a year ago. However, on September 25, the operatives of the NDLEA said they were able to arrest him after 12 months of allegedly evading arrest.
This was confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, spokesperson of the NDLEA.
Babafemi also confirmed that the operatives of the NDLEA raided Ajiboye’s warehouse in Akala, Mushin area of Lagos, where a total of 1,101 kilograms of Ghana Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, was recovered on 4th September 2023.
The NDLEA spokesperson also revealed that the arrest of Ajiboye in a bank in Ogun state followed well-coordinated efforts by the Agency’s Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigation, which traced 20 bank accounts linked to the suspect and blocked them.
Babafemi also noted that in Lagos on Friday 27th September the Agency took into custody a wanted community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, following the arrest of his two wives: Hauwa and Asma’u and son, Sadat as well as the seizure of a total of 226.2kg cannabis at their homes in Badagry on 18th September.
The statement reads in part: “In another operation in Lagos, no less than 9.7kg cannabis sativa and 50 litres of monkey tail, a fermented combo of cannabis and dry gin, was recovered from a suspect Florence Moses at Badore area of Ajah, Lekki on Tuesday 24th September.”
In Kogi, according to the NDLEA, three suspects, Owolabi Dele, 42; Ayodele Monday, 40; and Olawale Ojo, 22, were arrested by NDLEA operatives along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway while conveying 132 sacks of cannabis weighing 2,062.00kg in a Mercedes container truck from Osun state to Dei Dei in Abuja.
According to Babafemi “ another suspect, Benedict Simire, 57, was arrested at Ayetoro Road, Kabba, conveying 33.40kg of the same psychoactive substance and a pump action gun with six cartridges on Wednesday, 25th September.”
The statement added: “On the same Wednesday, operatives of the Marine Command of NDLEA intercepted two 40HP Yamaha engines bearing 71 bags of Ghana Loud weighing 2,982kgs along Alfa beach, Lekki area of Lagos. Men of the Nigerian Customs Service Western Marine Command were on hand to support the NDLEA officers to recover the boat and exhibits after the two suspects in the boat dived into the water.
“Also, on Wednesday, 25th September, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, Rivers state, intercepted 1,500 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup containing a total of 150,000 bottles during a joint examination of a targeted 40ft container, with men of Nigerian Customs and other security agencies.”
