The Kwara State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended three individuals known for their involvement in the distribution of illegal drugs in various parts of the state.
The State Commander of NDLEA, Mohammed Ibrahim, addressed journalists in Ilorin, the state capital, on Tuesday, providing insights into efforts aimed at curbing the supply of hard drugs. He revealed that these arrests had been made within the span of a week.
One of the apprehended suspects, Nwankwo Innocent, was described by Ibrahim as a major supplier of psychotropic substances within the state capital. Two other suspects, Solomon Sonowo and Abubakar Tijani, were also arrested on drug-related charges.
Ibrahim stated, “In the past week, the command intercepted 4kg of cannabis sativa which is Indian hemp, meth and methamphetamine from one Solomon Sonowo aged 24 at Bode Saadu, in the Moro Local Government Area of the state.
“Abubakar Tijani, aged 33, was also arrested at Bode Saadu with 14kg of cannabis sativa.
“There was also an arrest of one of the major distributors of psychotropic drugs in Kwara State, who gave his name as Chidi Godwin. He was arrested last year with a name given as Chidi Jonathan. The development aroused our interest to dig further with a visit to his house and found out that his real name is Nwankwo Innocent. He’s a notorious supplier of psychotropic substances in the state. He has no shop, meaning that he is not a registered patent medicine seller.
“He sends his consignment from Lagos State and the goods were intercepted on August 12. He was called to come and collect his consignment. He was arrested thereafter. The exhibits include tramadol weighing 1.95Kg, Diazapham of 2.95Kg and 179 grams of Pentazocine.”
Ibrahim emphasized that the arrest of Nwankwo Innocent would significantly impact the availability of psychotropic substances within the state, as he had been involved in the illicit trade for an extended period.
The NDLEA commander noted that the three suspects would undergo investigation and subsequent legal proceedings. He expressed concern over the prevalence of drug-related issues among individuals aged 14 to 40 years, with 85 percent of suspects falling within this age range. Furthermore, 89 percent of those undergoing brief counseling and rehabilitation at the command center are also within this demographic.
