29 August 2024 , 07:49
587
0
Nigerian authorities have apprehended five women suspected of involvement in a drug trafficking ring at the Seme border as they returned from Ghana, according to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The NDLEA stated on Sunday that Nigerian authorities had surveilled the group, led by 42-year-old Olaribigbe Bashirat Feyisara, before making the arrest.
“The suspect has been under radar before being tracked and arrested…along with other members of her gang: Abogun Fatimah Ladidi; Osibeluwo Tolulope Oluwaseun; Akanni Balikis Oluwatoyin and Ajetumobi Amudalat,” according to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi added that the suspects were found with 14 packs of Loud—a potent strain of cannabis—hidden on their bodies. The total weight of the recovered drugs was 6.97 kilograms.
In a related operation in Edo, authorities arrested two women, Martha Owotorofa and Odion Uzordinma, suspected members of the same gang, with 30 cups of cookies and 17 slices of cake, all spiked with drugs and other illicit substances.
Nigeria continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) program, conducting sensitization activities in schools, workplaces, and communities nationwide.
In June, the Federal Government of Nigeria approved US$1.4 million to enhance its counter-narcotics efforts and fund anti-riot equipment designed to combat drug trafficking and related crimes across the country.