*Nigeria鈥檚 National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has said it plans to go after supermarkets, clubs, confectionaries, and other outlets as well as their owners selling drug cookies, biscuits, cakes, and other products laced with illicit substances under whatever guise to consumers in the country

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

As part of its preventive measures to protect Nigerian consumers from undue exposures to illegal drug and substances, Nigeria鈥檚 National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has warned owners/operators of supermarkets and confectioneries to rid their stores of cannabis cookies, biscuits, and other products laced with illicit substances.

Brig. General Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, issued this warning Friday, April 23 while receiving a further briefing on follow-up operations from Mohammed Malami Sokoto, Commander of the FCT Command of the regulatory agency in Abuja, FCT, report said.

It was learnt the development was sequel to the recent arrest of Rhoda Agboje, a 300-level University undergraduate; and Ifeanyi Nwankwo, her boyfriend, both of who apparently specialise in producing and selling drug cookies to schoolchildren, clubs and supermarkets in the country鈥檚 capital city.

Their lid was said to have blown open on their illegal drug trafficking, following Agboje鈥檚 with four pieces of the cannabis cookies Sunday, April 18, 2021.

The NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive said: 鈥淎s part of our preventive measures, we鈥檒l henceforth go after supermarkets, clubs, confectionaries and other outlets and their owners, selling drug cookies, biscuits, cakes, and other products laced with illicit substances under whatever guise.

鈥淲e鈥檒l not shy away from hitting their production spots, supply and sales outlets before getting into the hands of innocent schoolchildren, unsuspecting members of the public and even our vulnerable young men and women.

鈥淲e won鈥檛 rest on this until we chase them out of this criminal business.

Marwa stated: 鈥淭his is why I want to seize this opportunity to warn owners and operators of supermarkets, clubs and other sales outlets to clean their stores of these illicit substances before we get to them.鈥�

The suspects were arrested for producing the cookies with Arizona, a highly psychoactive variant of cannabis, as well as alcohol and Rohypnol among other ingredients, report said.

It is recalled that the undergraduate arrested at the NNPC Cooperative Estate, opposite Gaduwa Estate, in Abuja, based on a complaint that she gave an unsuspecting young girl the cookies to eat.

After eating the drug cookies, the girl lost her mind and could not sleep, making incoherent utterances due to the effects of the cookies.

Under interrogation, the prime suspect, Rhoda, confessed that she prepares the cookies with a friend and sells each pack of three pieces at N1, 500.

A follow-up operation in her boyfriend鈥檚 house led to the recovery of over 200 pieces of the drug cookies.