NDLEA nabs fake police officer transporting drugs across states

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) apprehended a 49-year-old man named Innocent Ekpe in Asaba, Delta State, on Wednesday, September 16, while allegedly impersonating a senior police officer to bypass security checks. Ekpe was seized with 292.48 kilogrammes of skunk concealed within his silver Toyota Sienna bus. The NDLEA discovered that Ekpe had been using a forged police identification card, claiming to be Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Godwin Emeka, to avoid detection at checkpoints while smuggling illicit substances.

An accomplice, Nduka Joseph, 39, was arrested alongside Ekpe. These arrests were part of a series of intelligence-driven operations conducted across several states including Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). These efforts resulted in the seizure of over 1.3 million tramadol pills and capsules, along with approximately 6,000 kilogrammes of cannabis, valued at more than N3.4 billion.

The operations also led to the discovery of a significant shipment of Canadian Loud, totaling 603.75 kilograms, which arrived from Montreal, Canada, on September 12. This consignment, containing 1,200 parcels, had a street value of N1.81 billion. Acting on processed intelligence, NDLEA operatives intercepted the shipment at Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos on September 16 after placing it under surveillance.

In a separate operation, 45-year-old Matthew Ossai was arrested in Edo State on suspicion of using his auto-repair workshop as a front to store illicit drugs. Recovered from his premises were 48 kilograms of Canadian Loud, 152 grammes of methamphetamine, and a metal box designed for storing the substances. In Niger State, on September 15, three young men were apprehended near the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with two homemade AK-47 rifles, a locally made pistol, and a substantial amount of ammunition.

Additionally, two suspects, Aminu Isyaku, 23, and Jamilu Habibu, 25, were arrested on September 18 along the Abaji-Abuja Highway with a large quantity of tramadol and other drugs concealed in eight sacks. Lastly, in Lagos, Onyeka Ofor was apprehended on September 18 at his residence in Aguda, Surulere, with 48,900 tramadol pills.

The agency also intercepted seven cartons of cannabis sativa weighing 59 kilograms at a logistics company, leading to the arrest of Luke Ugokwe.