The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a suspected drug baron, Chidi Olife, said to have escaped arrest for unlawful importation of 5.250kg of heroin from Pakistan to Lagos in 2010.
His arrest in Lagos by the Joint Task Force Operation Unit of the NDLEA came just as operatives of the agency in Adamawa State apprehended an illicit drug dealer, Rabiu Imam, on Friday with Tramadol tablets of 225mg, weighing 45.4kg and estimated at over N50m.
Imam was arrested in a house at Unguwan Madina, Mubi North Local Government area of the state.
A statement by the agency on Saturday said Olife was arrested “following vital intelligence on the drug source, flight details, date and place of arrival, weight and mode of concealment, name, phone number and address of the recipient of the consignment and a planned controlled delivery operation coordinated by the Commander NDLEA’s JTF, Adeniyi Olumuyiwa.”
The agency said the operation led to the arrest of one Oladimeji Oladotun and Alhaji Danjuma Idris while processing the documents for consignment clearing. Both were said to be the clearing agents hired by Olife, said to be the drug owner.
It added, “Upon his arrest, Alhaji Idris Danjuma, one of the clearing agents, was used to arrest Oke Ningo who Olife contacted to receive the consignment from the agents on his behalf. Unfortunately, he (Ningo) escaped arrest at the point of receiving the drug as he suspected the person with the clearing agent to be an NDLEA officer.
“Subsequently, the house of Olife was traced to a street on Ajao Estate, Lagos but before the JTF team could get there he had escaped with the members of his house due to the failed arrest of Ningo. The undaunted JTF team placed him on surveillance. Their resilience yielded fruit 10 years after as Olife was eventually arrested and he is currently cooling his heels in the NDLEA’s custody while a manhunt for Ningo, his criminal associate, continues.”
