NDLEA arrests wanted baron, ex-convicts for drug trafficking

Abdullateef Fowewe

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a wanted drug kingpin Ajiboye Samuel (a.k.a Na God) after 12 months of evading arrest, and two ex-convicts over drug trafficking.

Samuel was according to a statement on Sunday by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi arrested on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, and he was arrested in a bank in Ogun state following well-coordinated efforts by the NDLEA Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigation, which traced 20 bank accounts linked to the suspect and blocked them.

Babafemi Sunday, said also following his arrest the suspect’s warehouse in Akala, Mushin area of Lagos, was raided by operatives, where a total of 1,101 kilograms of Ghana Loud, a strong strain of cannabis was recovered on 4th September 2023.

In a separate operation, Babafemi said the agency operatives in Lagos on Friday, September, 27 arrested another wanted kingpin, who is the community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba.

He said this followed the arrest of the community leader’s two wives: Hauwa and Asma’u and son, Sadat as well as the seizure of a total of 226.2kg of cannabis at their homes in Badagry on September 18.

The statement partly reads, “In another operation in Lagos, no less than 9.7kg cannabis sativa and 50 litres of monkey tail, a fermented combo of cannabis and dry gin, were recovered from a suspect Florence Moses at Badore area of Ajah, Lekki on Tuesday 24th September.

“In Kogi, three suspects: Owolabi Dele, 42; Ayodele Monday, 40; and Olawale Ojo, 22, were arrested by NDLEA operatives along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway while conveying 132 sacks of cannabis weighing 2,062.00kg in a Mercedes container truck from Osun state to Dei Dei in Abuja. Another suspect Benedict Simire, 57, was arrested at Ayetoro road, Kabba, conveying 33.40kg of same psychoactive substance and a pump action gun with six cartridges on Wednesday 25th September.

Babafemi said in Katsina, two ex-convicts, identified as Muhammad Machido, 44, and Zakari Ya’u Buhari, 32, were again arrested by NDLEA operatives with illicit substances.

“While Muhammad was nabbed along Kano-Katsina highway, Kankia, on Monday 23rd September with 51,000 pills of opioids, Zakari was arrested in Daura with 14 blocks of cannabis weighing 7kg.

“Zakari was first arrested on 8th February 2024 and sentenced by the court to 15 months imprisonment with an option of 15,000 fine, which he paid. In his case, Muhammad was earlier arrested with 45kg cannabis sativa and 2.5kg tramadol on 12th December 2022. He was then sentenced to two years imprisonment.

“While Benjamin Benjamin Ebei, 33, was arrested at Biase LGA Cross River state, with 38kg cannabis recovered from his vehicle, operatives in Edo state on Tuesday 24th September raided a house along Okpuje road, Uzebba in Owan West LGA where they arrested a suspect Idonuan Ajilo, 53, and seized 112.5kg cannabis from his store,” Baba wrote.

However, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of DOGI, DAFI, MMIA, Onne, Marine, Lagos, Kogi, Katsina, Oyo, Plateau, Niger, Kano, Edo, and Cross River Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, also applauded their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WADA sensitization lectures and advocacy messages to every part of their areas of responsibility.