Operatives of a Special Operations Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted drug baron, Frank Chijioke Ibemesi, alias Chisco Bee, allegedly operating under the cover of a businessman and hotelier.
According to a statement by the spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, his arrest was after weeks of intelligence and surveillance on his criminal activities.
Babafemi, said the 42-year-old Ibemesi, who is the MD/CEO of Franc CJ Ibemesi Nig Ltd, was arrested at his Daisy Garden Hotel, 66-68 Agbeke street, Ago palace way, Isolo Lagos in the early hours of Saturday after which he was taken to his warehouse at 7 Pius Ezeobi street off Ago place way, Isolo where 42 jumbo bags and four cartoons of Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 1,762.8 kilogrammes were recovered.
Also seized from him at the point of his arrest include: US$11,600; £2,000; €2,200 and 50 Canadian dollars, all in cash.
Babafemi also said an attempt by a suspected drug syndicate operating at Orita-Apeje, Araromi-Okeodo forest reserve, Ife South local government area, Osun state to load and distribute across the country large quantities of processed skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing a total of 11,135 kilogrammes were thwarted last Tuesday by NDLEA operatives after days of surveillance in the forest. Two trucks being used to transport the illicit consignments: a Volvo truck marked WWR 29 XA and a Mercedes truck with registration number AWK 713 YZ were seized and seven suspects arrested.
Those in custody in connection with the seizure are: Lucky Abiodun; Julius Amos; Victor Ngbikili; Sunday Oduegwu; Ibrahim Akanni; Eze Godstime; and Fred Ifeanyichukwu.
He said a total of 1,902.1 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered in parts of Edo state. While 184.1 kilogrammes was recovered along a bush path at Oza/Igbanke road, Igbanke, in Orhionmwon local government area last Thursday, 672 kilogrammes was evacuated from Utese forest, Ovia North East local government area on Friday, with 494 kilogrammes recovered from a Mercedes Benz car marked DE311BEN along Benin-Akure road where a suspect Felix Edah, 45, was arrested same day, just as Lucky Abagha, 51, was nabbed in another Mercedes Benz car marked JJJ 56 JW conveying 552 kilogrammes.
While four suspects: Micheal Okoh; Offor Agada; Raphael Nkemjika and Nwabueze Franklin were arrested with 68 kilogrammes skunk and 3.150 kilogrammes methamphetamine along Ijebu-Ode expressway in Ogun state, Danjuma Tukura, 50, was nabbed with 172 kilogrammes skunk at Sunkani area of Ardo Kola local government area, Taraba state on Friday and Wisdom Titus, 24, with 84 kilogrammes of same substance at Takum area of the state.
In Adamawa state, NDLEA operatives on Friday recovered 396,000 capsules of tramadol from a suspect Ahmed Nda, 50, at Aliyu Mustapha International Airport Yola, while 785 kilogrammes of skunk was evacuated from the warehouse of a drug dealer currently at large at Asob Maraba Karu, Nasarawa state.
Two suspects: Jamiu Kardoso and Oriyomi Waliu were on Friday arrested with 130 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 65.150 kilogrammes in Surulere area of Lagos, just as Taofeek Moraina was nabbed same day with 282 blocks of Ghana Loud with a gross weight of 141 kilogrammes at Otto, Oyingbo area of Lagos.
In Kwara state, NDLEA operatives last Thursday intercepted a truck marked T- 0262KT along Ilorin – Jebba expressway conveying 197 blocks of skunk weighing 78.565 kilogrammes and 155 cartons of rubber solutions. The truck driver Umar Yakubu was taken into custody.
In another operation, a commercial bus with registration number KJA- 657CY was intercepted at Eiyenkonrin, Ilorin last Wednesday with 20 blocks of skunk concealed in a 50-litre jerry can recovered and the driver Ibrahim Bello arrested.
The commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa while commending the officers and men of the SOU, Osun, Lagos, Edo, Ogun, Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, and Kwara commands for the arrests, and seizures, (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the agency.
Michael Olugbode
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