Troops of 192 Battalion, 81 Division, Nigerian Army, intercepted a suspected transnational drug syndicate with 296 warps of illicit substances, along Balogun border in Ogun State on Sunday.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement posted on the official X handle of the Nigerian Army on Sunday.
The statement read, “Troops of 192 Battalion, 81 Division, Nigerian Army, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a suspected transnational drug syndicate operating with a Sienna 2001 Model Space Bus, with registration number Lagos APP 129 EF, loaded with illicit substances, suspected to be Cannabis Sativa.
“The suspects were intercepted on Sunday, January 14, 2024, along Balogun border in Ogun State.
“Vigilant troops conducted a thorough search on the vehicle and detected layers of compartments packed with 296 wraps of substance suspected to be marijuana.”
The statement also disclosed that investigation revealed that the wraps of illicit substance were transported from Benin Republic through Ilara border communities en route Ifo, Ogun State.
It further revealed that it took the transnational drug traffickers five months to conceal the substance for delivery to their clients and two suspects were arrested in connection to the crime.
The statement added that the suspects, Adigun Olatunji, 54 years, and Michael Atanda, 18 years, both from Ilara Imeko in Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State, reside in Benin Republic.
They were said to have been taken into custody for further necessary actions, after a failed attempt to bribe troops with N12 million.
The suspects and all the items recovered are said to be in safe custody, pending handover to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for prosecution.
Some of the items recovered from the suspects include one Benin Republic National ID Card, one Nigerian National ID Card, two small Itel mobile phones, one Benin Republic driver’s license, a Benin Republic International Passport, six Benin Republic SIM packs, two Benin Republic SIM cards, one Nigerian driver’s licence, and N52,700.
In July 2023, troops of the Nigerian Army similarly arrested a Beninese, Matthew Edegbe, and a Nigerian, Joshua Dansu, while trying to smuggle into the country a truck loaded with 397 wraps of substance suspected to be marijuana in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State.