Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 36-year-old lady, Chioma Afam, for trying to smuggle a total of 296,000 tablets of Diazepam and Exol-5 from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Gombe State.
Afam was arrested along with her partner, Peace Chidinma by the NDLEA operatives.
The Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this in statement released on Wednesday in Abuja, said the suspect, Afam, uses multiple identities and wears hijab to evade security scrutiny.
She uses multiple names such as Amina, Uzoamaka and Ifunaya to cover her criminal activities.
Afam and Chidinma were arrested on Saturday July 17, 2021, during routine checks and profiling of inward vehicles into Makurdi, Benue state.
Their vehicle coming from Onitsha, Anambra state was intercepted along Makurdi – Alliade road while heading to Gombe State via Makurdi.
Babafemi said, “A search of their vehicle led to the discovery of 43kilograms of Diazepam and 33kg of Exol-5, both weighing 76 kilograms with a total of Two Hundred and Ninety Six Thousand (296,000) tablets packed in four large ‘Ghana must go’ bags.
“Curiously, the two interstate drug traffickers have rebuffed efforts to take pictures with the exhibits without wearing their hijab.”
Meanwhile, on Sunday, July 18, 2021, the Ondo state command of the Agency intercepted one Olu Ameh, a commercial motorcycle rider, with 465 kilograms of cannabis sativa along Ijagba-Ute road in Ose local government area of the state.
The illicit substance was reportedly purchased from one Joseph in Ago-Akure, Akure North LGA and being conveyed to the buyer, a certain Egbonwon at Ijagba village in Ose LGA.
Reacting to the two seizures and arrests, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the commanders, officers and men of the Benue and Ondo state Commands of the Agency for their efforts to ensure that no illicit substance is allowed to pass through their areas of responsibility under whatever guise or cover to destroy the lives of innocent Nigerians in other parts of the country.
He said, “For us in NDLEA, a kilogram of illicit drug seized by our gallant and courageous officers across the country is a kilogram less what is available on the streets and in our communities and that is why we’ll continue to encourage all our officers and men to continue to give their best in our pursuit of the mandate President Muhammadu Buhari has given us.”
