by Oke Efagene

A truck driver and 2 others with 691.7 kilogrammes of cannabis have been apprehended today by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Plateau State Command.

[READ: Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps arrests man with 36 cartons of hard drugs in Jigawa]

The state’s NDLEA Commandant, Ngozi Madubuike, told journalists in Jos that the vehicle was monitored by the command from its take-off point in Ondo State.

Madubuike said that men of the command have been on their toes since the information got to them, until the truck was intercepted at Hawan Kibo, a boundary village between Plateau and Kaduna State.

According to reports:

“We got wind of this truck coming to Jos immediately after its takes-off  from Ipele, Ondo State, two days ago. They were initially carrying about 144 bags of cannabis, but because they came via Abuja, they dropped 50 bags there and proceeded to Jos with 99 bags, which weighed 691.7 kilogrammes.

“Information played a vital role in this arrest. if not, this heavy and dangerous substances would have been smuggled into the state. I will really want to commend the bravery of my officers and men because since this information got to us, they were up and doing until this morning when we intercepted the suspects and the substance,” she said.

The commandant said that investigations would be made and the suspects would be charged to court without further delay. She reiterated the agency’s commitment to eradicating the supply and demand of illicit drugs in the state.

Madubuike appealed to parents to watch their children as the sale and consumption of hard drugs only killed the future of the child.

The driver of the truck, however, told newsmen that they were paid N500,000 to deliver the illegal goods to various locations in the country. He said he was involved in the act to raise some money for his family to have a better Christmas celebration.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the truck was carrying some cartons of beverages along with the hard drug.