Elections: NDLEA begins nationwide clampdown of hard drugs

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, yesterday, said it has commenced a nationwide clampdown of flashpoints where hard drugs are trafficked and sold to criminals and users alike.

In a statement in Abuja, the NDLEA said the ongoing raid of such flashpoints was designed to cripple and dismantle such criminal hideouts ahead of the elections commencing today, thereby, depriving troublemakers of the drugs they normally use to spike their systems.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Colonel Mustapha Abdallah (Rtd), further stated that during the nationwide raid, operatives of the Agency in Akwa Ibom State arrested one Okon Bassey, at Mbo Local Government, and allegedly recovered from him 244 Permanent Voter Cards belonging to different people and a sum of N310,000.

Abdullah added that the Akwa Ibom command also arrested 120 suspected hard drug dealers found to be in possession of 51 kilogrammes, KG, of cannabis, 259 grammes, GM, of heroin, 17gm of cocaine, 500gm of Tramadol Diazepam and Polypro, 2 suspected traffickers nabbed as 164 Nigerians return from Libya

He said, “These suspects were arrested during the pre-election raid by operatives of the Agency in order to reduce acts of violence during the elections.

“The efforts of our eagle eyed-officers also paid off with the arrest of one Joy Adams, a notorious heroin dealer in the state for allegedly being in possession of 239gm of heroin.

“The suspected PVC thief had been handed over to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for further investigation, while others caught with hard drugs had been charged to court.”

The NDLEA chairman gave kudos to the gallant officers and men of the Agency who, according to him, were currently working round the clock to ensure that every flashpoint where hard drugs are sold to criminals is raided nationwide ahead of elections.

He said, “Despite the challenges being faced by our officers and men in terms of manpower and logistics, they have performed creditably in clearing political thugs and drug addicts’ hideout within few days of the sting operations.

“It will be recalled that only last Sunday, four officers of the Agency were murdered by suspected drug dealers in Ifon Ondo State while on search of drugs being transported from Edo State to the Northern part of the country.”