The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a suspected drug baron, Chidi Olife, who had escaped arrest for unlawful importation of 5.250 kg of heroin, concealed in books from Karachi, Pakistan to Lagos since June 2010.
In a statement on Saturday, NDLEA said Olife’s arrest was coordinated by Adeniyi Olumuyiwa, commander of NDLEA’s Joint Task Force (JFN) and deputy commander of narcotics (DCN).
It said the operation on Olife was carried out following vital intelligence on the drug source; flight details; date and place of arrival; weight and mode of concealment; name; phone number; and address of the recipient of the consignment.
“The careful execution of the operation led to the arrest of Oladimeji Oladotun and Danjuma Idris while processing the documents for clearing the consignment. Both were the clearing agents hired by Olife, the owner of the drug.
“Upon being arrested, Idris was used to effect the arrest of Oke Ningo who Olife contacted to receive the consignment from the agents on his behalf, unfortunately, he escaped arrest at the point of receiving the drug as he suspected the person with the clearing agent to be an NDLEA officer.
“Subsequently, the house of Olife was traced to a street in Ajao estate, Lagos but before the JTF team could get there he had escaped with all members of his house due to the failed arrest of Ningo.
“The undaunted JTF team of officers placed surveillance on him. Their resilience yielded fruit 10 years after as Olife was eventually arrested,” the statement read.
The agency said Olife is currently in its custody while a manhunt for Ningo, his criminal associate, continues.
Also, the operatives of the anti-drug agency in Adamawa State nabbed one Rabiu Imam, a suspected drug dealer, on February 19, 2021, with Tramadol tablet 225 mg weighing 45.4kg.
Idris Bello, the commander of NDLEA in Adamawa, said other illicit drugs recovered from Imam include: Tramadol capsules 100mg weighing 550 grams and Diazepam tablet 850 grams.
Bello said the drug trafficker was arrested in a house at Unguwan Madina, Mubi North Local Government Area of the state, adding that the total value of the seized drugs was over N50 million.
