NDLEA Arrests Traditional Priest, Intercepts ₦1.1bn Worth Of Codeine

A traditional chief priest from the Igunuko Shrine, Bariu Aliu, is being reportedly apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) agents in the Lagos State’s Alpha Beach neighborhood.

NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying Aliu’s arrest followed a three-month manhunt.

The suspect, also known as “Malo,” was detained on October 25, 2024, after a 2,760 kilograms of skunk were found at his home.

The chief priest was identified as the head of the drug syndicate operating from the shrine, despite two of Bariu’s accomplices being detained, charged, and found guilty last year.

“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”, the statement read.

Bariu was identified as the syndicate leader despite the fact that two of his accomplices were detained at the shrine last year and later charged and found guilty in court.

He also disclosed that operatives intercepted a 40-foot trailer loaded with 2, 217.6 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, during an intelligence-led operation in the Kagini area of Kubwa, Abuja.

According to a spokesman for the organization, the drugs were intended for some northern states to be distributed later.

“The intelligence-led operation, which took place at 1: 20 a. m. on Saturday, January 11, 2025, led to the seizure of the large illicit consignment, the trailer, six vehicles—comprising a Toyota Van, Toyota Camry, Toyota Sienna, a JAC 4-wheel-drive Hilux, a Toyota Corolla, and a Vento Passat—and the arrest of a suspect, 42-year-old Isaac Monday Desmond.

He claimed that the shipment was loaded onto the trailer at Uzeba in Edo State’s Owan Local Council Area.

Source: Channels TV