By Chioma Iruke
Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) has arrested a 90-year-old man Yusuf Yarkadir, and two teenage siblings, Onyema Sunday and Onyema Amaka for selling illicit drugs in Katsina and Ondo states respectively.
Yarkadir who confessed to selling cannabis sativa to youths in his community for eight years, was nabbed in Yarkadir village in Rimi Local Government Area of Katsina state on Wednesday 7th July, a statement by the Agencies Spokesperson Femi Babafemi on Friday stated.
According to the statement, the two teenagers: Sunday and Amaka who are 16 and 15 years of age respectively, were arrested in Car street area of Akure with 1.894kilograms of Tramadol on Monday 5th July.
The teenagers were arrested alongside 23-year-old Kazeem Oluyede who was nabbed in Eru Oba area of the capital city with 300grams of cannabis and 3grams of methamphetamine, and another lady, Maryam Musa, 35, who was also arrested in Igbara-Oke, Ifedore local council area of the state with 5.5kilograms of cannabis.
This was even as the agency intercepted different quantities of illicit drugs going to the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
According to Babafemi, the substances were intercepted by narcotic officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations, DOGI, attached to some courier companies in Lagos.
“In one of the courier firms, 400 grams of Ketamine hidden in walls of hair attachments carton coming from Cameroon and heading to the US was seized. Others include: 30grams of Tramadol concealed in female headgear coming from Onitsha, Anambra state and going to the UK; 200grams of Ketamine from Cameroon going to USA; and 400grams of Methamphetamine from Asaba, Delta state heading to New Zealand,” he stated.
Part of the statement further disclosed that Ondo state NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 7th July, stormed the Ogbese market, in Akure North LGA, following credible intelligence and surveillance.
It added that in Bauchi state, “at least seven persons have been arrested and 28.091kilograms of assorted drugs such as Diazepam, Exol-5, Rophynol, Tramadol, Codeine, and cannabis recovered from them”.