The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has captured a traditional chief priest of the Igunuko Shrine, Bariu Aliu, following a three-month search.
Aliu, popularly called “Malo,” was taken into custody in the Alpha Beach area of Ajah, Lekki, after 2,760 kilograms of skunk were discovered at his shrine on October 25, 2024.
In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi explained that while two accomplices of the chief priest had been arrested, tried, and sentenced last year, Aliu was identified as the leader of the drug trafficking syndicate operating from the shrine.
Babafemi noted, “In Lagos, the traditional chief priest of the Igunuko shrine at Alpha Beach, Ajah Lekki, where 2,760 kg of skunk was recovered on October 25, 2024, Bariu Aliu (alias Malo), has been arrested by NDLEA operatives after a three-month manhunt. Though two of his accomplices were arrested at the shrine last year and subsequently charged and convicted in court, Bariu was identified as the syndicate leader.”
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 40-foot trailer loaded with 2,217.6 kilograms of skunk during a covert operation in Kagini, Kubwa, Abuja.
The bust, conducted at an abandoned fuel station, also led to the seizure of six vehicles—including a Toyota Van, Camry, Sienna, JAC Hilux, Toyota Corolla, and Vento Passat—used for the distribution of the drugs.
A suspect, 42-year-old Isaac Monday Desmond, was arrested during the operation.
According to Babafemi, “A 40-foot trailer loaded with skunk, weighing 2,217.6 kilograms, was intercepted by NDLEA operatives while being distributed into six vehicles at an abandoned fuel station in Kagini, Kubwa, Abuja, for onward distribution to some northern states.”
He further revealed that the illicit consignment originated from Uzebba in Edo State’s Owan Local Government Area.
In another operation within the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA officers apprehended two individuals—42-year-old Anthony Nnamdi and 27-year-old Abba Ali—in Nyanya.
The raid yielded 1.398 kilograms of cocaine and a chemical precursor for producing crack cocaine. Additionally, a cargo shipment bound for Australia was intercepted in Lagos, where officers uncovered 20 wraps of cocaine weighing 330 grams, concealed in face cream containers.
Babafemi also reported the seizure of 338,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup, worth over ₦1.19 billion, during a joint operation by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State, on January 9 and 10, 2025.
Elsewhere in Kano, a 23-year-old suspect, Habibu Ya’u, was arrested during a raid at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria Road on January 9. NDLEA officers confiscated 45 blocks of cannabis weighing 24.2 kilograms and 40,800 pills of opioids, including tramadol.
