The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has said that it will soon launch a raid of hotels and relaxation spots in the city of Lagos as part of its efforts to apprehend drug barons using such facilities as hideout for their nefarious activities.
Already, the NDLEA said it had, therefore, warned hotel owners and operators to take measures aimed at keeping away persons of questionable characters from their facilities.
Spokesperson of the agency, Michelle Ofoyeju, who disclosed this in a telephone chat with our correspondent, added that the anti-narcotic agency was determined to take the battle to drug traffickers and barons alike in their hideouts throughout Lagos.
Ofoyeju further disclosed that intelligence reports available to the agency showed that hotels and other relaxation spots across the state were fast becoming operational bases for drug dealers.
“That is where they congregate to transact their illicit business, lure gullible young Nigerians into trafficking in drug.
So, we want to raid such hotels,” he said. It was gathered that reports reaching the agency fingered hotels located in places such as FESTAC, Omole Estate, Ajao Estate, Lekki and Victoria Island.
Others include, those in Ikeja GRA, LASU Road and Ikosi Ketu. Hotels in these places were said to be those patronised by drug barons, who used to transact their illegal business.
He also added that the agency had early last month sent warning letters to the owners of the affected hotels, warning them to be mindful of persons lodging in their facilities.
“We told them that their hotels had been converted to purposes which were against the law and that they should desist from such.
We made it clear to them that they could not claim ignorance of the existence of such guests in their hotels. But because they are benefiting from such deals, they would not want to expose them,” the NDLEA spokesperson said.
He said that the raid would be organised in such a way that it would not give any clue to either the hotel owners or the drug barons as to when NDLEA operatives would launch attacks.
Ofoyeju, however, noted that drug transit in and out of the country had reduced substantially in the last few months.
“Unlike in the last quarter of last year, when there was upsurge of drug traffickers, especially at the Lagos Airport, this year’s first quarter has witnessed a crash in drug activities at the airport,” he said.
He attributed the drop to the tight security at the airports. According to him, security operatives at the airport across the country had been more or less on high alert now than ever.
“So every move at the airport is tracked and investigated to the letter. The drug trafficker knows that Lagos Airport is no longer safe for them,” Ofoyeju said.
Investigations by our correspondent at some of the identified hotels revealed that the operators had been making efforts to rid their facilities of drug dealers to avoid being caught unawares by the anti-drug agency’s operatives.
At a popular hotel in Ikeja GRA, a manager, who pleaded anonymity, said they were ready for the raid by the operatives of the NDLEA at any moment. “Since we got their letter, we have cleaned up our hotel. They can come here at any time, our hands are clean,” he said.
