Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested popular socialite Mike Eze Nwalie Nwogu, widely known as Pretty Mike, alongside over 100 others during a raid on Proxy Night club in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, confirmed that the suspects were apprehended in the early hours of Sunday at the club located on 7 Akin Adesola Street, where a drug party was reportedly in progress.
“Cartons of illicit substances, including Loud and laughing gas, were recovered from suspects at the party and the club’s store,” Babafemi stated.
According to the NDLEA spokesman, the operation followed intelligence reports about the drug party. He explained that operatives who had been embedded in the event from 11pm on Saturday eventually disrupted the gathering at 3am on Sunday in line with standard operating procedures.
Pretty Mike, who owns the establishment, was taken into custody for screening alongside the other suspects.
In a separate operation, NDLEA uncovered 70 parcels of cocaine factory packed inside walls of cocoa butter formula body cream containers at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. The drugs, destined for London, United Kingdom, weighed 3.60 kilogrammes.
Three suspects were arrested following the discovery made on 14th October during examination of cargoes packaged as personal effects scheduled for transport to London on an Air Peace flight.
The arrested suspects include Lawal Mustapha Olakunle, a cargo agent who presented the consignment for airfreight, Ogunmuyide Taiwo Deborah, a healthcare worker, and Mutiu Adebayo Adebiyi, chief executive officer of Mutiu Adebiyi & Co, a travel agency. Adebiyi was apprehended at his office at 23 Ladoke Akintola Street, Ikeja GRA on 20th October.
At the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, officers thwarted an attempt by 35-year-old Lesotho national, Lemena Mark, to export 103.59 grammes of methamphetamine hidden in a diabeta herbs coffee tea pack to the Philippines on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Wednesday.
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives arrested Umar Abubakar, 40, at Bode Saadu, Morro Local Government Area, with 21,950 capsules of tramadol 250mg concealed inside a 100-litre water heater on Tuesday.
Two suspects, Auwal Musa, 26, and Salihu Bala, 22, were nabbed in Taraba State with 450,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 at Dan-anacha checkpoint whilst conveying the substances in a truck loaded with building materials from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Mubi, Adamawa State.
Officers on patrol along the Okene/Lokoja highway in Kogi State seized 162.200kg of skunk from a truck on Friday, whilst operatives in Nasarawa State recovered 128kg of the same psychoactive substance from Abubakar Muhammad, 55, in the Keffi area on Wednesday.
NDLEA operatives arrested Oyonumoh Glory Effiong, a mother of two described as a major distributor of Canadian and California Loud in Lekki, Ajah, Ikoyi, Victoria Island and VGC areas of Lagos, during a raid at her Lekki residence on 17th October, where 500 grammes of the illicit substances were recovered.
In Ikorodu, officers raided the home of Ogunyabo Adenigbigbe at Solomade estate on Thursday, recovering 275 litres of skuchies, a new psychoactive substance produced with black currant drink, cannabis and opioids.
A 75-year-old man, Echendu Onuoka, was arrested at Ovum village, Obingwa Local Government Area, Abia State, with 4.7kg of skunk on Wednesday, whilst a 60-year-old woman, Aukana John, was nabbed with 225 grammes of the same substance at Apanta village in the same local government area.
Operatives recovered 150kg of skunk during a raid at Lot camp, Ikun Akoko, Ondo State, and arrested Bashir Mohammad, 50, and Samini Ahmed Tijjani, 35, with 234.5kg of the substance at Yan aya, Saminaka in Lere Local Government Area, Kaduna, on Friday.
Another set of suspects, Isah Usman, 50, and Salvation Okoler, 18, were arrested with 8,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and rohypnol along Abuja/Kaduna highway.
At the Seme border area of Lagos, operatives nabbed Jacob Ojugbele with 55kg of skunk at Ashipa area of Badagry on Wednesday, whilst Amusa Oluwabukola was arrested with 121.3 litres of skuchies at Itoga Badagry.
In Zamfara State, officers on patrol along Gummi-Anka road arrested Abubakar Ibrahim, 30, in possession of an AK-47 rifle and 1,746 assorted calibres of ammunition for AK-47 and GPMG rifles on Monday whilst moving them from Sokoto to Bagega forest, Anka Local Government Area. The suspect and exhibits have been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
Commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities in the past week.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the various commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them and their colleagues across the country to continue the agency’s balanced approach to drug control efforts.
