President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, congratulated the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), on the recent successful operation of the Agency, leading to the smashing of an international drug syndicate and recovery of 1,855kilograms of cocaine.
The NDLEA announced that it has seized 1.8 tonnes of cocaine worth “N194 billion” in Lagos State.
In a statement on Monday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s media director, said the drugs were seized from a warehouse in the Ikorodu area of Lagos.
Babafemi, who described the development as one that “appears to be the biggest singular cocaine seizure” in the agency’s history, added that five persons, including a Jamaican and the warehouse manager, were arrested.
“Kingpins of the cocaine cartel in custody include: Messrs Soji Jibril, 69, an indigene of Ibadan, Oyo state; Emmanuel Chukwu, 65, who hails from Ekwulobia, Anambra state; Wasiu Akinade, 53, from Ibadan, Oyo state; Sunday Oguntelure, 53, from Okitipupa, Ondo state, and Kelvin Smith, 42, a native of Kingston, Jamaica,” the statement reads.
In a statement signed by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, the President in a telephone call to the Chairman of the anti-narcotics agency from New York where he is attending the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 77), said that the news of the recovery gladdens his heart.
“I deeply appreciate the work that you have put into the eradication of the drug menace. It gladdens my heart as I continue to follow the successes achieved under your leadership.
“You have demonstrated over and again that choosing you to lead this fight against wicked merchants of death whose sole aim is to endanger and truncate the future of our youth is a very good choice. Please keep up the good work.”
At a meeting later with members of his delegation, the President said, “Buba Marwa is doing well. Two tonnes of cocaine, that’s a haul.”
The NDLEA had announced the “highest cocaine seizure” worth over 278 million dollars and arrest of drug barons including a foreigner, in a major operation lasting two days across different locations in Lagos.