The 9 Brigade Command of the Nigeria Army, Ikeja Cantonment in Lagos State, on Saturday paraded a hard drug peddler, Okafor Collins, caught with 60 wraps of substance suspected to be cocaine.
The 30-year-old suspect, was arrested at 311 Road, adjacent Cincillati Club House, Festac Town.
The Commander of the Brigade, Brig. -Gen. Musa Etsu-Ndagi, told newsmen on Saturday that the suspect was arrested in the early hours of Friday.
Mr Etsu-Ndagi said that the suspect was arrested by the men of the Exercise Crocodile Smile, adding that the exercise was already yielding results.
The commander added that the suspect would be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, for further investigation.
“You will recall that the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt.- Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Nov. 19 flagged-off Exercise Crocodile Smile.
“The exercise is now yielding result; the suspect was arrested by the Operation Crocodile Smile troop and he confessed to committing the crime.”
The Commander advised drug dealers to desist from trading in such substances saying it was increasing crime in the society.
“I strongly advise drug dealers to desist from trading in substances of this nature because these are substances that actually exacerbate crime in the society.
“When people take these substances, they become violent and will not know what they are doing anymore.
“All manners of crime including those committed in schools can be linked to those who take hard drugs. So, I advise the public to desist for the sake of the country at large,” he said.
He advised drug dealers to look for legitimate ways of making money, saying that the Army was out to deal with all criminal elements in the society.
“We have carried out our intelligence work and we know where all of them are. We shall go after them one after the other, so it is best for them to desist now.
“Otherwise, when they are caught, they will be ruthlessly dealt with,” he said.
The suspect, Mr Okafor, said that he regretted his actions in dealing in hard drugs, saying that depression and unemployment made him go into dealing in illicit drugs.
He said that he was getting his supply from a man he simply identified as Okwudilichukwu from 311 Avenue in Festac Town from where the Exercise Crocodile Smile team arrested him.
He told journalists that Mr Okwudilichukwu was using him as his courier to deliver hard drugs to his clients.
Mr Okafor also said that he was selling a wrap of the drugs for N500 and was making between N10,000 and N15,000 daily depending on the daily demands for the products.
