Hoodlums Open Fire On NDLEA Operatives In Edo, Three Officers Injured

Hoodlums Open Fire On NDLEA Operatives In Edo, Three Officers InjuredOperatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) faced an armed attack in Opuje community, Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, while attempting to access forest warehouses containing psychoactive substances. The attackers, suspected to be working for drug cartels, blocked roads leading to the community to hinder the NDLEA’s operation. The warehouses reportedly held a significant quantity of processed psychoactive substances intended for distribution nationwide ahead of the Christmas and New Year season.

During the confrontation, the armed hoodlums engaged in a gunfight with NDLEA operatives, resulting in injuries to three officers. One officer sustained a gunshot wound to the head, requiring major surgery to remove the bullets lodged in the brain. The injured officers were promptly taken to the hospital for treatment.

This incident follows a similar attack 11 months earlier, where armed youths recruited by drug barons ambushed NDLEA officers during an operation to destroy warehouses storing large quantities of cannabis sativa in the same community. NDLEA Chairman and CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), warned that those sponsoring attacks on NDLEA operatives would face legal consequences, emphasizing the agency’s determination to combat drug-related crimes.