NDLEA Arrests Five-Man Syndicate Selling Fake INEC, Customs Appointment Letters For N400,000

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in a coordinated operation have arrested a five-member syndicate conducting fake recruitment into security agencies in Zamfara, Kebbi and Bauchi States respectively.

A statement by the NDLEA’s Spokesperson Femi Babafemi disclosed that the leader of the gang, Yakubu Sani was first arrested in Gusau, Zamfara state.

Babafemi said his criminal gang issues fake NDLEA employment letters and identity cards to unsuspecting members of the public for the sum of N400, 000 per person.

A follow-up operation by the agency in Zuru, Kebbi state led to the arrest of another gang member, Ibrahim Isah, while three others; Dahiru Musa Limanchi, Gambo Danladi and Umar Abubakar were nabbed in Bauchi state.

The statement read, “Recovered from them include a fake NDLEA ID card; NDLEA guarantor form; INEC offer of appointment letter; Nigerian Customs Special Replacement Form and appointment letter; Nigerian Correctional Service Replacement Form; Credentials of some Applicants; Receipts and passport photos; Five sim packs and one MTN SIM card”.

Meanwhile, narcotics officers have foiled fresh bids by drug cartels to export Tramadol, Ecstasy MDMA and Cannabis to Milan, Italy and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The substances were scheduled to be exported through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos State.

The NDLEA said it had arrested a female passenger, Odia Emiliana Efe on May 9 at the Lagos airport while she was trying to board a Royal Air Moroc flight via Casablanca to Milan, Italy with 1000 tablets of Tramadol 200mg concealed in food items.

It noted that five days after, a freight agent Kareem Ibrahim was also arrested at the SAHCO cargo shed of the airport for attempting to export food items, hidden in blocks of cannabis weighing 6.65kg and 24grams of ecstasy drug, MDMA to Dubai in UAE.

Similarly, the agency said it seized a total of 203, 879 tablets of various pharmaceutical opioids and illicit substances in raids across Abia, Kaduna, Yobe and Kogi states.

In Abia, operatives of the agency intercepted three trucks loaded with drugs coming from Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra States respectively.

“When properly searched in the presence of the owners on Wednesday 11th May, 67,100 tablets/capsules of Tramadol and 12,650 ampules of pentazocine, morphine and dopamine were recovered,” a statement by the NDLEA Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi revealed.

Also on May 11, NDLEA operatives in Kaduna arrested a notorious drug dealer, Shehu Kabiru a.k.a Dan-Zaira. He was wanted by the Kastina Command of the Agency for jumping bail.

“Recovered from him include 45,000 tablets of Diazepam weighing 41.5kg; 50,000 tablets of Exol, weighing 15.6kg; 1,500 tablets of Rohypnol weighing 700 grams and 300 bottles of codeine weighing 41.5kg,” the statement said.

In Yobe, 7,029 tablets of Tramadol, D5, and Exol as well as 1.5kg cannabis were recovered from a drug dealer, Ibrahim Yakubu when his hideout was raided in Unguru town on May 8.

While in Rivers state, one Chekiri Richard Obomanu was arrested at Eleme area on May 11 with 207.2kg cannabis.

The statement revealed that no less than 19,600 tablets of Tramadol coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Abuja were intercepted and recovered along Okene/Abuja highway on May 11 by NDLEA operatives in Kogi state.