Operatives from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) raided a shrine in Igor community, Benin City, Edo State, which was guarded by a snake and used for storing illicit drugs. They apprehended two female suspects during the operation.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi disclosed in a statement on Sunday, June 23, 2024, that the raid was conducted after detecting a specially constructed large hole hidden behind wallpapers and surrounded by fetish objects in the shrine building.
“The operation yielded various quantities of illicit substances including methamphetamine, Loud, Colorado, and Arizona, all potent strains of cannabis, totaling 8.743 kilograms,” the statement read.
“Sonia Chinonso Ezumezu and Risikatu Tijani were arrested during the intelligence-led operation on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, after neutralizing the large black snake guarding the shrine.”
“In a separate operation on Saturday, June 22, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects, Obi Ferguson, aged 45, and Ernest Abanum, aged 46, during a raid on Usen forest in Ovia South West LGA, Edo State. The raid resulted in the seizure of 209 kilograms of cannabis and a motorcycle.”