Troop apprehend two, seize 397 marijuana wraps

Matthew Edegbe, a Beninisian, and Joshua Dansu, a Nigerian, were detained by Nigerian Army soldiers as they attempted to smuggle a truckload of a substance thought to be marijuana into the nation.

During a stop-and-search operation on Tuesday along Ajilete road in Ogun State’s Yewa South Local Government Area, the troops detained the suspects.

According to a statement by Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, the suspects transported the drug in a truck without a licence plate.

He continued by saying that the troop investigation had shown the marijuana had been brought from Ghana.

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“Troops of 192 Battalion Nigerian Army operating in 81 Division Area of Responsibility have again on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, intercepted a suspected international drug syndicate smuggling a truckload of substance believed to be Cannabis Sativa (Marijuana) en route Sango Otta in Ogun State,” the statement read.

“In response to actionable intelligence, troops conducted stop-and-search operations along Ajilete Road in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, during which they impounded the suspected truck without a registration number that was loaded with 397 wraps of an unknown substance that they believe to be marijuana.

“Igholo-Idiroko was used to transport the illegal substance from Ghana to the Benin Republic on the way to Sango Otta, according to the preliminary investigations that followed.

The suspects who are currently assisting in ongoing investigations are Mr. Matthew Edegbe, a citizen of the Benin Republic, and Mr. Joshua Dansu, a resident of Idiroko.

He mentioned that among other items found on the suspects were a driver’s licence and a national identification card for the Benin Republic that belonged to one George Benyagbe.

The truck’s registration number (T 1826 LA Lagos), which was removed and hid inside the vehicle to prevent identification, as well as an iPhone, an Infinix and Itel phone, a Benin Republic national identification card, George Benyagbe’s driver’s licence, and the sum of Seven Thousand Naira (N7000) were all recovered from the suspects.

Onyema, however, claimed that the suspects, the car, and the evidence had all been taken into custody and would soon be turned over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.