Killing of NDLEA officers
Four personnel of the Ondo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) were recently murdered by unknown gunmen in an inexplicable manner. This occurred less than three weeks after men of the Command swooped on illicit drug dealers in the state. The attack on the NDLEA officers occurred while they were at their duty post along Ikaro Road checkpoint, lfon, Ose Local Government Area of the state, a location notorious for Indian hemp plantations.
The gunmen reportedly stormed the checkpoint on motorcycles, shot the officers with AK-47 rifles, set their Toyota Hilux patrol van ablaze and carted away arms and ammunition. Abduljalad Mohammed (ASN ll), Wellington Emmanuel (SNA), Magaji Aliu (CAN) and Mohammed lliyasu lost their lives but one of the officers managed to escape unhurt. Farmers later discovered the slain officers’ remains in the bush. Insinuations were that the assault may have been a reprisal attack by drug dealers whose trade was disrupted by NDLEA.
The Ondo State Command was all out to send the drug dealers out of business. In September 2018, the Command destroyed 110,542 kilogrammes of Indian hemp under the supervision of its national officers and the state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. Ahead of the 2019 general elections, it also seized 851,000 kilogrammes of tramadol and 851,000 kilos of psychotropic substances. The operations were led by a special squad tagged “Operation Ijo Oloogbo,” which constantly combed the forests and destroyed Indian hemp plantations.
Ondo State’s NDLEA Commander Haruna Dagara later said, “Our men have gone to evacuate the bodies from the scene and other paramilitary agencies are on ground.” He said in spite of inadequate logistics which make his men vulnerable to attack, the Command would not abandon its resolve to drastically reduce narcotics in the state. He said with the collaboration of other security agencies in the state, NDLEA would intensify its war against narcotics.
Dagara said this type of attack had not happened before even though they have had cases of mob attack in the past. “The people we are waging war against are the prime suspects. I am sure that God will expose them and we will get them,” he said. He also said as part of the raids carried out through “Operation Ijo Oloogbo,” 30,618 kilogrammes of Indian hemp were confiscated during an operation at Ipele forest in Owo Local Government Area. He said five hectares of Indian hemp farms were raided, during which three single barrel guns and one pump action gun with psychotropic substances including Tramadol were recovered.
Reprisal attacks are often expected when law enforcement agencies carry out major operations especially on drug barons. Therefore, NDLEA officials must not only improve upon their intelligence sharing mechanisms but must also remain vigilant while on duty because they are more exposed than the general public to attacks by criminals. While we urge the Ondo State Command of NDLEA not to be daunted in its dogged fight against illicit drugs and substance abuse, we encourage other state Commands of the agency to remain determined in carrying out the organization’s mandate.
The assault on security personnel while on duty is an attack on the country’s sovereignty. We urge relevant security agencies to fish out the perpetrators with minimum delay. The police must also ensure prompt prosecution of suspects in court after carrying out proper investigation. Those found guilty of this heinous murder should get the maximum punishment under the law in order to serve as a deterrent to other drug barons and criminals.
As a mark of honour and respect for the slain personnel, government should ensure that gratuities of the murdered men are paid immediately. Nigeria has lost too many gallant young men and women in the fight against insurgents, drug barons, kidnappers, armed robbers, smugglers, human traffickers, pipeline vandals and other criminals all over the country. These losses could be minimised if the security officials are supplied with adequate kits, vehicles, communications and weapons.