Barely three years after his arrest, prosecution and conviction for drug trafficking, an 80-year-old man, Jeremiah Inkanta, has again been apprehended by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly returning to the illicit drug trade.
Inkanta was first arrested by the NDLEA on 14th December 2022 and later sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
According to the agency, he allegedly resumed dealing in illicit drugs after serving his sentence. Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, 10th January 2025, tracked the octogenarian ex-convict to his residence in Mmanta–Abak village, Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, where he was arrested with 5.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.
In a statement signed on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency disclosed that in another successful interdiction operation in Akwa Ibom State, operatives on patrol along the Oron–Ibaka Road in Oron LGA on Friday, 9th January, intercepted a 37-year-old businessman, Ani Romans, who was travelling with full body mannequins for his clothing business in Cameroun.
“A search of the mannequins revealed that they were stuffed with pills of tramadol weighing 5.3 kilograms.“The suspect claims he resides in Cameroun and was reportedly returning to his base after the Christmas and New Year holidays when he was apprehended. It was revealed that he bought the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra state and was trafficking them to Cameroun to sell, using two mannequins to conceal the opioids,” the statement said.
The NDLEA also reported that in Oyo State, raids across different locations led to the seizure of dangerous illicit drugs and the arrest of alleged notorious dealers, including 45-year-old Remi Bamidele at Sasa, Ibadan, where a total of 10.696 kilograms of Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud and skunk, all strains of cannabis, were recovered.
“At the time of his arrest on Thursday 8th January, two vehicles: Toyota Venza and Toyota Yaris were recovered from him.“At Adegbayi area of the state capital Ibadan, NDLEA officers on Friday 9th January arrested Adeola Toheeb, 27, with various quantities of Colorado, Ghana Loud and skunk while Habeeb Ali, 29, was nabbed at Ring Road, Ibadan with 1.264kg Colorado, Scottish Loud and skunk. Not less than One Million Three Hundred and Seven Thousand One Hundred Naira (₦1,307,100) cash exhibit was also recovered from him at the point of his arrest on Saturday 10th January,” the statement said.
It further revealed that a dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin, 30, alongside two other suspects, Ebimi Labo, 28, and Akhimie Success, 25, were arrested on Friday, 9th January at Ihama/Airport Road GRA, Benin City, Edo State, in connection with the seizure of 118 grams of Canadian Loud and a wrap of Colorado.
“While Jimoh Agbonmhegbe, 49, was arrested at Irrua with 17.552kg Colorado, Loud and skunk, another suspect Evelyn Okoyomon, 38, was nabbed at Ubiaja with 930 grams of skunk on Wednesday 7th January.
“In Niger state, no fewer than 4,000 pills of tramadol 225mg were recovered from a suspect Nazifi Umar, 22, at Dakwa town, Tafa LGA, while another suspect Yusuf Usman, 41, was nabbed with 100 blocks of skunk weighing 47kg Lankaviri, Yorro LGA Taraba state on Wednesday 7th January.
“Not less than 30,950 capsules of tramadol were recovered from the home of a suspect Ugwoke Chibueze, 40, in Bachure area of Yola South LGA, Adamawa state following his arrest at the Lamido Aliyu Mustapha International Airport Yola on Tuesday 6th January,” it added.
