NDLEA arrests man 10 years after escaping arrest

From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
Ten years after escaping from men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the agency has arrested Mr Chidi Olife, an alleged drug baron, in Lagos.
In a statement made available to Sunday Sun, the NDLEA said it’s Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Unit nabbed Olife who escaped arrest for unlawful importation of 5.250kg of heroin from Karachi, Pakistan on June 2010. The drug was concealed in books.
The NDLEA disclosed that following vital intelligence on the drug source, flight details, date, and place of arrival, weight, and mode of concealment, name, phone number, and address of the recipient of the consignment, a planned controlled delivery operation was coordinated and led by the Commander, NDLEA’s JTF, DCN Adeniyi Olumuyiwa.
The NDLEA further said the careful execution of the operation led to the arrest of Oladimeji Oladotun and Alhaji Danjuma Idris while processing the documents for clearing the consignment.
“Both were the clearing agents hired by Chidi Olife, the owner of the drug. After arresting Danjuma, one the clearing agents, he was used to effect the arrest of Oke Ningo who Chidi contacted to receive the consignment from the agents on his behalf. Unfortunately, he escaped arrest at the point of receiving the drug as he suspected the person with the clearing agent to be an NDLEA officer.
“Subsequently, the house of Chidi Olife was traced to a street in Ajao Estate area of Lagos, but before the JTF team could get there, he had escaped with all members of his house due to the failed arrest of Oke Ningo.
“The undaunted JTF team of officers placed surveillance on him. Their resilience yielded fruit 10 years after as Chidi Olife was eventually arrested and he is currently cooling his heels in NDLEA’s custody, while a manhunt for Oke Ningo, his criminal associate continues,” the anti-drug agency said.
NDLEA also disclosed that its operatives nabbed an illicit drug dealer, Rabiu Imam on Friday in Adamawa with Tramadol tablet 225mg weighing 45.4kg.
The Adamawa State commander of the NDLEA, Idris Bello, while briefing the Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, General Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd) yesterday, said other illicit drugs recovered from Imam included Tramadol capsules 100mg weighing 550grms, and 850grms of Diazepam tablet.
Bello also said Imam was arrested in a house at Unguwan Madina, in Mubi North Local Government Area of the state.
Bello stated that the estimated street value of the seized drugs was over N50 million.
“It is a trans-business border business because the illicit drugs were moved from Onitsha, Anambra State through Yola to Mubi and heading for Cameroon and Chad,” Bello said.