Police in the Federal Capital Territory have arrested a 27-year-old dispatch rider, Magaji Adamu, for allegedly transporting multiple cartons of nitrous oxide, commonly known as “laughing gas,” suspected to be intended for illegal use.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
The statement said Adamu, a graduate of Gidan Waya College of Education, Kafanchan, Kaduna, was apprehended on January 20, 2024, during a routine patrol in the territory.
Upon interrogation, the suspect admitted to working as a dispatch rider for a logistics platform called Gonymble since December 2023.
The suspect, according to the PPRO, confessed that this was his fourth time delivering the substance, which was always handed over to him by a man identified simply as Mr Danladi.
Adamu narrated that Mr Danladi would call him and instruct him to pick up the packages near a police station in Jabi, Abuja, for delivery.
He said that each delivery earned him N5,000.
Adamu, who claimed to have recently relocated to Abuja, said he was initially unaware of the true nature of the substance, as Danladi told him the gas was used in hospitals.
Recall that on July 11, 2023, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency mandated a nationwide crackdown on the illegal sale and misuse of nitrous oxide.
It instructed law enforcement agencies to take swift action against its distribution in response to growing concerns over its recreational use and associated health risks.
The directive came after a viral photo of a Nigerian rapper holding a balloon surfaced on social media, sparking controversy.
Many online users speculated that the image depicted the use of laughing gas, which has become popular among young people.
Nitrous oxide, commonly used for medical sedation and food processing, can produce short-lived euphoria, giggling, hallucinations, and lightheadedness when inhaled.
However, prolonged abuse can lead to serious health risks, including memory loss, depression, lowered blood pressure, oxygen deprivation, nerve damage, and heart complications.
