NDLEA Officers Attacked During Drug Bust In Cross River, 3 Arrested

Officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have been attacked by a mob during a drug bust in the Lemna area of Cross River State, with three persons arrested over their alleged role in the incident.

The operation also led to the recovery of two grammes of methamphetamine, popularly known as Ice, and one gramme of synthetic cannabis, also called Colorado.

The Assistant Commander of Narcotics at the NDLEA Cross River State Command, Kabiru Abdullahi, disclosed this during an interactive session with LEADERSHIP in Calabar.

Abdullahi said the incident occurred on Monday at about 2pm when he led a team of officers on a motorised patrol in Lemna, in the northwestern part of the state.

He explained that trouble started when the officers, who were conducting stop-and-search operations, flagged down a motorcycle conveying three persons, comprising one man and two women.

According to him, the officers identified themselves and requested to search the passengers’ bags, but the occupants initially resisted.

He said the officers insisted on conducting the search, during which they recovered a white nylon bag containing a whitish substance suspected to be methamphetamine.

“We identified ourselves to them. And one of the female officers asked for searching of their bags. And they tried to resist but we insisted we must search that bag.

“In the process of searching, a whitish nylon bag was recovered. When we opened it, it is a whitish substance suspected to be methamphetamine,” he said.

Abdullahi said three other persons subsequently arrived at the scene and began shouting, challenging the officers and inciting a crowd against them.

“Before we realised, three persons stormed the area and shouted, ‘Stop there.’ Shouting, ‘What is happening here?’

“They insisted, ‘We will not allow you to go with these people,'” he recounted.

He alleged that the three persons mobilised the crowd, which attacked the operatives, dragged and slapped some officers and freed the initial suspects.

“They dragged my driver. They were dragging him, slapping. One carried a wood. Gave another officer dirty slaps. Another one, stones. That one is in the hospital now.

“We were in uniform. We identified ourselves, telling them that we were NDLEA officials. Yesterday, all of us could have been history,” he said.

The commander said reinforcement from the state command prevented the officers from being lynched.

He added that the three persons allegedly responsible for instigating the attack were subsequently arrested.

Abdullahi said the recovered substances, comprising two grammes of methamphetamine, popularly known as Ice, and one gramme of Cannabis Sativa, known as Colorado, were retained as exhibits.