Posted by By OLUWATOYOSI OGUNSEYE on
After years of celebrating the arrests of small time drug couriers, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said on Monday that its nets have started catching the big barons,
After years of celebrating the arrests of small time drug couriers, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said on Monday that its nets have started catching the big barons, as it announced the seizure of 1032.265 kilogrammes of hard drugs and recovery of over one million dollars.
Chairman of the agency, Mr Ahmadu Giade, said his men had arrested a notorious drug baron, who he identified as Mr Bode Adebowale Aransiola, aka Debo.
According to Giade, the man who had eluded the NDLEA for four years was captured with some quantities of cannabis and a large sum of money.
The NDLEA also nabbed another drug baron, Mr Sulaimon Ibitoye Ola, who was allegedly caught with 426.4 grammes of heroin and 43.8 grammes of cocaine. Among those arrested was a man identified as Biliyanminu Mohammed, who was caught with 37 bags of cannabis weighing 313.2 kilogrammes.
The revelations were made, while marking the United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at the Lagos State secretariat auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, where Giade was represented by the Director of Operations and General Investigation, Mr Gadzama Samuel.
According to him, the theme of the programme, 'Children and Drugs," aptly described the focus of the NDLEA. He stressed that besides the large seizures of drugs, the agency also recovered over one million dollars. He decried the high percentage of children and young people involved in drug abuse and peddling.
He said: 'Research has revealed that in Nigeria, drug abuse sometimes starts as early as the age of 10.
The NDLEA is mindful of its responsibility to the nation and will utilise all available resources to protect the Nigerian child from their greatest enemies, drug baron and traffickers. The recent seizure of 14.7 metric tonnes of substances containing cocaine at the Tin Can Island port is a clear indication of our determination to face the drug challenge head on."
Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, also stressed the resolve of his government in combating the menace of hard drugs in the city. The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Francisco Abosede, said: 'The Lagos State International Drug Abuse control committee organised this event in collaboration with the NDLEA.
'This is a clear indication of our fight against illicit drugs. We chose the slogan of this programme, ‘Drugs are not child's play' to sensitise our children. They need to shun hard drug in order to save their future."