NDLEA Cracks Down On Snake-Guarded Shrine Housing Illegal Drugs In Edo

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has raided a shrine used for storing illicit drugs in the Igor community of Benin City, Edo state, which was guarded by a large black snake.

In a statement on Sunday, June 23, NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, revealed that operatives discovered a specially constructed large hole hidden in a wall behind wallpapers and fetish objects.

Naija News gathered that this concealed space was used to store various illicit substances.

Among the seized drugs were methamphetamine and several potent strains of cannabis known as Loud, Colorado, and Arizona, with a total weight of 8.743 kilograms. These were retrieved from the deep hole in the shrine’s wall.

During the operation on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, two women, Sonia Chinonso Ezumezu and Risikatu Tijani, were arrested after the giant black snake guarding the shrine was neutralized.

In a related incident, two suspects, Obi Ferguson, 45, and Ernest Abanum, 46, were apprehended on Saturday, June 22, when NDLEA agents raided the Usen forest in Ovia South West LGA, Edo state.

The raid resulted in the recovery of 209 kilograms of cannabis and a motorcycle.

The statement partly read: “In Abuja, operatives on Tuesday, June 18, intercepted a white Nissan Frontier pickup truck with amber lights and a fake registration number of a security agency at Kiyi village in the Kuje area of the FCT.

“The vehicle contained 454 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa, weighing 340.8 kilograms, sourced from Uzeba, Edo state. A 76-year-old man, Francis Omofa, was arrested in connection with the consignment. He admitted to being involved in the illicit drug trade for the past decade.”

The NDLEA has also been active in its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitization activities across the country.

These included lectures and advocacy in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the efforts of the Edo, Lagos, and FCT Commands.

He highlighted their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and demand reduction and urged them to maintain their aggressive stance against drug cartels while intensifying the WADA social advocacy campaign.