Hair stylist And Dispatch Rider Detained By The NDLEA For Allegedly Selling Students Drug-laced Chin-Chins

A 30-year-old dispatch rider named Edesemi Ikporo and a 20-year-old hair stylist named Josephine Odunu have been taken into custody by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly selling and distributing illegal drug-laced chin-chin to schoolchildren and at social gatherings in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

In a statement released on Sunday, the NDLEA Spokesperson, Femi Bbafemi, stated that on Sunday, March 10, 2024, 200 grams of chin-chin made with cannabis sativa were found when Agency officers on patrol in the Opolo area of Yenagoa stopped motorcycle dispatch rider Edesemi. Edesemi was en route to deliver the cannabis-infused product to a buyer.

He said that a prompt follow-up operation resulted in the hairdresser Josephine's arrest. Josephine works at a salon in the Kpansia neighborhood of Yenagoa and is the distributor of drugged chin-chin.

Babafemi claims that further 3 kg of illegal substances were found during the salon search, bringing the total amount of drugs taken from the two to 3.2 kg.

According to an NDLEA spokeswoman, investigations show that they give students and attendees of birthday parties chin-chins that are frequently laced with cannabis and tramadol.

He continued by saying that Josephine is a significant distributor for a wanted suspect who creates the poisoned chin-chin, while Edesemi manages the distribution to customers.

Similarly, Babafemi revealed that on Wednesday, March 13, NDLEA agents in Adamawa State detained two wanted individuals: Ajim Samuel, also known as Boss, 30, and Davidson John Joshua, also known as Dantala, 36. The individuals were traveling from Onitsha, Anambra state, where they had gone to purchase a shipment of tramadol, which contained 14, 428 pills of the opioid, which they had concealed in the body compartments of their black Honda Civic car, registered YLA 623 SL. Acquired along the Numan-Jalingo route.

21 grams of cannabis and cash exhibits totaling N19, 280 were also found on them.

Ogunleye Adegoke, 49, a commercial bus driver in Osun state, was taken into custody along the Gbongan-Ibadan road by NDLEA agents when they found 2,000 tramadol capsules, 60 rohypnol tablets, and 10 bottles of codeine syrup hidden in the spare tire compartment of his car.

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The NDLEA statement went on to say, “While a total of 343,000 pills of opioids were seized by NDLEA officers from a suspect, Lawan Abubakar, 33, in Azare town, Katagum, Bauchi state on Friday 15th March, same day the Nigerian Army transferred a suspect, Muhammadu Rabi'u, 37, with 64,000 pills of tramadol recovered from him to the Bauchi state command of NDLEA.

“At least, 24kg of cannabis was seized from the driver of a transport company, Ikechukwu Obialo, at Sagamu Interchange, Ogun state by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 13th March, while in Kano, two suspects: Ali Amadu, 27, and Adamu Hassan, 33, were nabbed with a total of 125.3kg cannabis; 3,400 pills of tramadol; and 30 bottles of codeine syrup.

“They were arrested on Monday 11th March at Gadar Tamburawa area, and Friday 15th March at Tsamiya Babba, Hotoro respectively.

“While 118 kilograms of cannabis were recovered from a warehouse in Masaka area of Nasarawa state on Saturday 16th March, NDLEA operatives in Edo state on Thursday 14th March arrested a suspect, Kole Samuel, 50, with 75kg of same psychoactive substance at market area, Otuo, Owan East LGA. Same day, operatives raided the Oloma- Okpe forest in Akoko Edo LGA where they destroyed 3,944.2075 kilograms of cannabis on 1.577683 hectares of farmland.

“With the same vigour, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaign in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and teachers of Government Day Secondary School, Michika, Adamawa; students and staff of Nana Aisha Secondary School, Damaturu, Yobe; students of Dee Unique International School, Abesan, Ipaja, Lagos and students and staff of Purple Crown Secondary School, Uwani, Enugu as well as a WADA advocacy visit to the paramount ruler of Alesa - Eleme kingdom, Emperor JD Nkpe 11, Rivers state.

“While commending the officers and men of the Bayelsa, Adamawa, Osun, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Edo, Kano, and Ogun Commands of the Agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) equally applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures thus creating a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.”