By Milcah Tanimu

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) faced a violent confrontation with armed hoodlums in the Opuje community, Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State. The attackers strategically blocked access roads to hinder the NDLEA’s operation targeting forest warehouses containing a significant quantity of processed psychoactive substances intended for nationwide distribution during the Christmas and New Year season.

NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that three officers were injured in the attack, with one sustaining a gunshot wound to the head. Several vehicles used in the operation were also heavily damaged by gunfire. This incident comes just 11 months after armed youths, allegedly recruited by drug barons, ambushed NDLEA officers during a previous operation in the same community, targeting warehouses storing over 317,417 kilograms of cannabis sativa.

Responding to the recent attack, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), issued a stern warning to those sponsoring such assaults. He asserted that individuals supporting attacks on NDLEA operatives would face relentless pursuit by the law, ensuring they face the consequences of their actions and the termination of their criminal trade.