In a significant operation, operatives from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) discovered a shrine guarded by a snake and used for storing illicit drugs in the Igor community, Benin City, Edo State.
The shrine featured a large, specially constructed hole in the wall, concealed with wallpapers and fetish objects, which served as a storage space for drugs.
According to Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy for the NDLEA, the operatives seized 8.743 kilograms of various illicit substances, including methamphetamine, Loud, Colorado, and Arizona—potent strains of cannabis.
The drugs were extracted from the deep hole within the shrine. During the operation, two women, Sonia Ezumezu and Risikatu Tijani, were arrested after the shrine’s black snake guardian was neutralized.
In a separate raid on June 22nd, NDLEA operatives apprehended two suspects, Obi Ferguson and Ernest Abanum, in the Usen forest, Ovia South West Local Government Area, Edo State. The raid led to the seizure of 209 kilograms of cannabis and a motorcycle.
Additionally, on June 18th in Abuja, NDLEA operatives intercepted a white Nissan Frontier pickup vehicle with amber lights and a fake registration number belonging to a security agency in Kiyi village, Kuje area of the FCT.
The vehicle was loaded with 454 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa, weighing 340.8 kilograms, procured from Uzeba, Edo State. A 76-year-old grandfather, Mr. Francis Omofa, was arrested in connection with the consignment.
