Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency said Sunday it had seized hard drugs concealed in water purifier machines imported from the Netherlands and intercepted hundreds of rounds of military-grade ammunition during separate operations across the country.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said operatives discovered three kilograms of ketamine and 199 grams of MDMA, popularly known as Ecstasy, hidden inside water purifier machines at a courier company in Lagos on May 26.
The drugs had been shipped from the Netherlands and were concealed in an apparent attempt to evade detection, the agency said.
In northwestern Kaduna State, NDLEA officers arrested a couple, Musa Sunday and Mercy Sunday, along with another suspect, Salomi Ezekiel, 38, during a raid on a house in the Gonin Gora area.
The operation led to the recovery of 100 jumbo bags of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing a total of 1,246 kilograms, the agency said.
In a separate operation in the state, officers on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna highway near Jere arrested a 30-year-old suspect, Sunusi Musa, who was allegedly transporting 380 rounds of military-grade 7.62mm ammunition to Katsina State.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said the suspect and the recovered ammunition had been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
In neighbouring Niger State, operatives acting on intelligence raided a warehouse in Gidan Kukah, Bosso Local Government Area, where they seized 457 kilograms of skunk on May 27.
A suspect, Godwin Zakka, 46, was arrested at his residence in the Gbeganu area of Minna in connection with the seizure, the agency said.
Meanwhile, in southeastern Enugu State, NDLEA officers intercepted a commercial vehicle travelling to Taraba State along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 22,000 tramadol pills, 100 ampoules of pentazocine and 200 grams of bromazepam, while a suspect identified as James Maigari Wisdom was taken into custody.
The agency said it had also continued its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, workplaces, places of worship and communities.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged personnel across the country to sustain efforts aimed at reducing drug trafficking and raising public awareness on the dangers of substance abuse.
