The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Edo Command, says it arrested 42 suspected drug traffickers and seized 9,520 kilograms of illicit substances in September.
Dr Mitchell Ofoyeju, the State Command of the agency disclosed this on Thursday in while presenting the command’s monthly operational scorecard.
Ofoyeju highlighted the command’s enforcement, rehabilitation and drug-abuse prevention activities during the month.
The NDLEA boss said 22 of the suspects were females, while 20 were males.
According to him, the arrests followed intelligence-led operations conducted across the state.
He also declared a suspected drug trafficker, Gospel Odeh, also known as Omega, wanted after he allegedly escaped arrest during an operation.
According to him, Odeh’s 26-year-old salesgirl, Ojugo Mercy, was arrested with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.
Ofoyeju said Odeh fled during the operation, abandoning his black Toyota Matrix vehicle, which was subsequently impounded by the agency.
He said NDLEA operatives recovered 65g of cannabis, N1.16 million and 55 Ethiopian birr from the vehicle.
“Mudiaga can run but he certainly has no hiding place because the command has been mandated by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer to find and prosecute him accordingly,” Ofoyeju said.
The commander expressed concerns over the involvement of increasing numbers of females in illicit drug trafficking in the state.
He said the command intercepted 271.92348kg of various illicit substances and destroyed cannabis plantations with an estimated yield of 9,248.2575kg during the period.
The seized substances include 245.29kg of Cannabis Sativa, 25.97kg of psychotropic substances and 0.66kg of methamphetamine, as well as 62.6 litres of codeine syrup.
Ofoyeju said the command also identified and destroyed 10 cannabis farms covering 3.699303 hectares in different parts of the state.
The farms, he said, were located in Ovia South West, Owan East, Owan West and Esan South East Local Government Areas of the state.
He said the estimated 9,248.2575kg yield from the destroyed plantations underscored the scale of cannabis cultivation targeted by the command’s enforcement operations.
On prosecution, Ofoyeju said the command secured three convictions during the month, while 83 cases remained ongoing.
He said the command also counselled 28 clients as part of its rehabilitation efforts and provided vocational training in tailoring, embroidery and liquid soap production.
According to him, the initiatives were aimed at supporting the reintegration of recovering drug users into society.
He said the command also collaborated with the Edo State Drug Control Committee (ESDCC) to organise the Okpebholo/Marwa Marathon Against Drug Abuse.
Ofoyeju said the event was designed to raise awareness and discourage drug abuse among secondary school students.
He said three winners of the marathon were awarded scholarships to further their education.
The commander called for greater collaboration among stakeholders to address drug trafficking, cultivation and substance abuse in Edo.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to disrupting the illicit drug trade while expanding prevention, rehabilitation and public-awareness interventions across the state. (NAN)
