Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA tasked with combating illegal drug activities have apprehended three visually impaired individuals involved in a cross-country drug ring that operated between Lagos and Kano.
In a statement by Femi Babafemi, spokesperson for the agency, it was revealed that one more blind member of the syndicate is still evading authorities.
Babafemi disclosed that the investigation into the group’s activities began after the arrest of a visually impaired suspect, Adamu Hassan, aged 40, who was found with 12 kilograms of skunk while on his way from Lagos to Kano along the Gwagwalada expressway in Abuja on Saturday, October 28th.
However, further inquiries established that Hassan had no knowledge of the bag’s illicit contents, as it was handed to him for delivery in Kano.
Subsequent operations led to the apprehension of the syndicate’s ringleader, Bello Abubakar, aged 45, who is also blind. In his statement, Bello, who is married with five children and has resided in Lagos for three decades, admitted to entering the illicit drug trade five years ago.
Babafemi revealed that another suspect, Muktar Abubakar, aged 59, who is also visually impaired, has been living in Lagos for 40 years and is married to three wives with 14 children.
“Both Muktar Abubakar and Bello Abubakar are co-owners of the operation, while the third suspect, Akilu Amadu, aged 25 and blind as well, contributes funds to the criminal enterprise. He was responsible for delivering the consignment to Adamu at the motor park in Lagos, to be transported to Kano. A blind individual, Mallam Aminu, was intended to receive the consignment in Kano but is currently on the run,” the statement disclosed.
| LIB
