Former Boko Haram fighter, monarch apprehended for drug trafficking

A rehabilitated ex-fighter of Boko Haram, Alayi Madu, and the traditional ruler of Kajola, a border community between Ondo and Edo states, Baale Akinola Adebayo were among 37 persons arrested with over 2.2 tons of illicit drugs seized in the past week. THE NATION reportsInformation Guide Nigeria

They were apprehended by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, and in raids across 12 states, according to a statement by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi.

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Babafemi said yesterday that NDLEA officials on Friday invaded Kajola forest where they destroyed three cannabis farms measuring 39.801546 hectares.

The statement reads, “In the same vein, a 26-year-old Alayi Madu, who was a Boko Haram fighter for 15 years before he surrendered to the Nigerian military in 2021 was intercepted by NDLEA operatives on Thursday 9th March along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 10 kilograms of skunk, which he said he bought in Ibadan, Oyo State and was taking the consignment concealed in a sack to Maiduguri, Borno State.NYSC Portal

“In his statement, Madu said he is from Banki town, Borno State, and joined the notorious terrorist organisation, in 2006 when he was nine years old. He said he repented and surrendered to the military in 2021, after which he underwent rehabilitation and de-radicalisation processes at Umaru Shehu rehabilitation centre, Maiduguri and Malam Sidi de-radicalisation centre, Gombe before he was discharged after spending six months.

“Thereafter, he travelled to Ibadan, Oyo State where he worked as a commercial motorcycle rider (Okada rider) before going into drug trafficking and his eventual arrest along Abuja-Kaduna express road.

At the Lagos airport in Ikeja, operatives acting on intelligence intercepted a consignment of 11.90kg of heroin and 500grams of skunk concealed in deep freezers, which were part of a cargo that arrived from South Africa on Tuesday 7th March onboard Ethiopian airline via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Agency’s sniffer dogs were deployed to locate where the illicit drugs were hidden in the cargo and in no time, they identified the cartons packed in the deep freezers.

“A total of four suspects that played active roles in the movement of the drugs and a truck driver have been arrested so far in connection with the seizure. They include: Dairo Quam; Oluwaseun Ogunmene; Adeleke Abdulrasaq; Bamidele Adewale and Oluwafemi Ogunmeru.JAMB Result

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