Joint military and anti-narcotics forces have successfully busted a syndicate operating in Taraba State, apprehending two individuals posing as police officers who were attempting to transport a massive haul of illegal drugs.
Troops from the 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), working in collaboration with operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), intercepted the suspects at Takum Junction in Wukari Local Government Area following credible intelligence.
Fake Officers and a Massive Cannabis Haul
The suspects were fully kitted in mobile police uniforms and were escorting two Toyota Hilux vehicles packed with substances suspected to be cannabis. A swift preliminary investigation revealed the deception, as the Army confirmed that neither of the men was a serving police officer.
Lieutenant Umar Mohammed, the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations for the 6 Brigade, Jalingo, identified one of the arrested men as Monday George, a 71-year-old dismissed Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), and the other as Ezeugo Destiny Uche, 41. The occupants of the second Hilux, however, abandoned their vehicle and fled the scene immediately upon sighting the joint military patrol.
The investigation traced the vehicles’ journey, confirming they were loaded with the illegal cargo in Akure, Ondo State, and were headed toward Adamawa State. The troops were able to recover a total of 1,134 blocks of cannabis from the two vehicles.
Both arrested suspects and the seized exhibits have since been handed over to the NDLEA office in Wukari for further investigation and eventual prosecution, underscoring the success of the inter-agency collaboration in curbing drug trafficking and dismantling criminal impersonation rings.
