Troops from the 192 Battalion, 81 Division of the Nigerian Army successfully intercepted a suspected transnational drug syndicate operating along the Balogun border in Ogun State. Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, reported that the troops uncovered 296 wraps of illicit substances, believed to be Cannabis Sativa, concealed in a Sienna 2001 Model Space bus bearing Lagos APP 129 EF.
The apprehended suspects, Adigun Olatunji, 54, and Michael Atanda, 18, residents of Ilara Imeko in Afun Local Government Area of Ogun State but residing in Benin Republic, were taken into custody following an attempted bribery of troops with a sum of N12 million. Army investigations revealed that the illicit substance had been transported from Benin Republic through the Ilara border communities, en route to Ifo, Ogun State.
The traffickers, specializing in trans-border drug transportation, had meticulously concealed the marijuana for five months with the intent of delivering it to their clients. Recovered items from the operation included identification documents such as a Benin Republic National ID Card, a Nigerian National ID Card, two small Itel mobile phones, a Benin Republic driver’s license, a Benin Republic International Passport, six Benin Republic SIM packs, two Benin Republic SIM cards, a Nigerian driver’s license, and the sum of N52,700.
The captured suspects and the seized items, as announced by Mr. Nwachukwu, are slated to be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for prosecution. This incident follows a similar occurrence in July of the previous year, when Nigerian Army troops arrested a Beninese national and a Nigerian for attempting to smuggle a truck loaded with 397 wraps of suspected marijuana into the country in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State.
IMAGE: Street Journalist
