Disclosing Ukatu’s arrest in a press release addressed to members of the general public on Monday, April 25, 2022, NDLEA Spokesperson Femi Babafemi mentioned the suspect was finally nabbed following months of surveillance and evasion of arrest.
Ukatu, who’s Chairman of Mallinson Group of Firms, in line with Babafemi, was arrested onboard a flight to Abuja at the MM2 terminal of the Lagos airport, Ikeja on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.
Whereas noting that Ukatu is the drug baron behind the N3 billion tramadol linked to Kyari and his accomplices, the NDLEA spokesperson acknowledged that the suspect is a serious importer of enormous consignments of various manufacturers and excessive dosages of Tramadol Hydrochloride.
Babafemi added that Ukatu owns pharmaceutical and plastic manufacturing companies, which he used as cover to import illicit medicine into Nigeria.
The assertion learn: “That is in addition to using 103 bank accounts, most of that are used to launder cash.
“Ukatu got here under watch last 12 months after 5 cartons of Tramadol 225mg have been seized from his workers on 4th May 2021 when he despatched them to promote to undercover cops (unknown to Ukatu) from the then Kyari-led IRT of the Nigeria Police, Ikeja Lagos. The value of a carton of Tramadol was negotiated at N17 million each as in opposition to the then black market worth that ranged between N18 million and N20 million a carton in Lagos.
“After the arrest of Ukatu’s workers: Pius Enidom and Sunday Ibekwete, Kyari’s men were then led by the suspects to Mallinson’s warehouse at Ojota in Lagos the place 197 extra Cartons of Tramadol 225mg have been seized by the IRT Crew. The monetary worth of the 202 cartons of Tramadol seized from Mallinson in one day was over N3 billion.
“Three weeks after the seizure, the Kyari’s IRT staff transferred solely 12 Cartons of the Tramadol with one truck and a suspect to the Lagos Command of the NDLEA, leaving 190 cartons unaccounted for.”
Following Ukatu’s arrest, the drug law enforcement agency will consequently arraign him in court to affix Kyari and 4 top members of his staff, who’re already going through trial for a different however related offence at a Federal High Courtroom in Abuja.
