In a significant bust, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a shrine in Igor community, Benin City, Edo State, used for storing illicit drugs, guarded by a large black snake.
The discovery was made when NDLEA operatives identified a specially constructed hidden storage hole within a wall adorned with wallpapers and fetish items.
According to Femi Babafemi, the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, the hidden compartment yielded various illicit substances, including methamphetamine, Loud, Colorado, and Arizona strains of cannabis, totaling 8.743 kilograms in weight.
During the operation on Tuesday, Sonia Ezumezu and Risikatu Tijani were apprehended following the neutralization of the snake guarding the shrine.
In a separate operation in Usen forest, Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State, NDLEA personnel arrested Obi Ferguson and Ernest Abanum on Saturday, June 22nd. They seized 209 kilograms of cannabis and a motorcycle during the raid.
Further operations on Tuesday, June 18th, in Abuja led to the interception of a white Nissan Frontier pick-up truck with amber lights and a fake registration number of a security agency in Kiyi village, Kuje area of the FCT. The vehicle was loaded with 454 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa, weighing 340.8 kilograms, sourced from Uzeba, Edo State. Mr. Francis Omofa, a 76-year-old man associated with the shipment, was arrested in connection with the incident.
The NDLEA continues to intensify efforts against drug trafficking and related criminal activities across the country, aiming to curtail the spread of illicit substances and ensure public safety.
