State Commander, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Bello disclosed this while parading three suspected illicit drug dealers at State Headquarters of the Command in Lokoja yesterday.
He disclosed that the command seized a total of 277.452 kg of the banned substance in January. Bello explained that on January 23 narcotics agents patrolling Okene-Mangogo Road intercepted one red Nissan Almera car with registration No. AG279 AJA during stop and search operation.
He said the officers discovered ten bags of dried weeds suspected to be cannabis Sativa weighing 89.3 kg in the vehicle, adding that the driver of the car, Saliu Momoh, confessed that the illicit substance belonged to one Kunle Awogbemila, a 300-Level undergraduate.
The commander said the NDLEA operatives used the driver’s phone number to contact Awogbemila, who was subsequently arrested with a green Toyota Camry car with registration number SMK 817BZ Lagos.
He stated pointed out that the student who claimed to be an indigene of Ute, Ondo State, where the illicit substance was allegedly purchased for subsequent sale at Anyingba to a cannabis dealer.
Bello said the arrest was worrisome considering the fact an undergraduate who expected to be in school and occupied with his studies was involved drug peddling. He also disclosed that in another encounter, the officers of the command also siezed a Mercedes Benz car with registration no. AR242 KMC with 15 bags of cannabis sativa at Okengwe in Okene Local Government area of the state.
On sighting NDLEA men, the suspects reportedly abandoned their operational vehicle and fled into the bush. Bello urged parents to always monitor the activities of their wards and equally question their lifestyle.
He called on the authorities of the state university and community leaders to partner with the agency, particularly by giving out information that could lead to the arrest of drug dealers in the area.
The suspect, he stated would be charged to the Federal High Court in Lokoja as soon as investigation was completed. Speaking with journalists yesterday, Awogbamila admitted that he was the owner of the suspected weeds.
He said he was taking it to Anyingba to sell and raise money to pay his school fees. He attributed his action to family problems arising from a broken home.
