Security operatives intercept 2.5 tonnes of ‘illicit drugs destined for terrorists’

Troops of 21 Armoured Brigade and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted a “large consignment of illicit substances” in Konduga LGA of Borno on Monday. 

Zagazola Makama, a security publication focused on the Lake Chad region, quoted military sources as saying that the team acted on intelligence.

The report said the joint team “launched a swift and decisive operation to disrupt the supply of illicit substances to the terrorist groups”.

“The operation, which was carried out following a tip-off, resulted in the recovery of 163 bags of the substance, equivalent to 2.5 tons, in a warehouse in Konduga,” the report reads.

“The suspected illicit substances, known as ‘Goom’ or ‘Akusukura’, is a deadly psychoactive substance that represents a serious threat to public health and poses a challenge for drug policy.

“The substance, which is of different varieties, is used in both liquid and powdered form by people who mostly seek to raise their levels of psychological or nervous activity in the body, or put it in simple terms, get high.”

The items were handed over to the NDLEA team leader, and the area was subsequently cordoned off by the military.

Last month, NDLEA intercepted illicit drugs from multiple suspects in eight states, including Kano, Gombe, Benue, Kogi, Kaduna, Oyo, Yobe, Bauchi, Kebbi and the federal capital territory (FCT).

In June, the agency arrested 110 suspects and recovered 520.385 kg of illicit substances in Kaduna.