NDLEA Orders Bayelsa Govt To Return Its Stolen Pistol
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has issued an ultimatum to Oduma community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State to return the agency’s stolen pistol.
The agency’s Public Relations Officer, Daniel Obahin, issued this warning in a statement released on Friday.
According to the agency, the LGA has only 7days to return the stolen pistol or face the wrath of the law.
This comes after angry youths from the community clashed with operatives of the agency on Wednesday.
The clash left at least four NDLEA operatives injured.
The attacks came during the NDLEA’s attempt to arrest drug peddlers within the community.
The agency suspect the angry youths to be cohorts of the drug peddlers.
The angry youths are said to have, also, vandalized the operational vehicle of the state’s NDLEA command being used for the operation.
According to Obah, its operatives “went for a routine operation to arrest some drug peddlers when some youths attacked them, resulting in four personnel being critically injured.”
He, also, revealed that “the youths of the community tried to resist the arrest, which led to the clash and vandalism of the operational vehicle.”
Obah confirmed that 2 of the attacked personnel are still receiving treatment in hospital, while three other operatives with minor injuries have already been discharged.
In his reaction to the accusation, the Youth leader of the community, Joshua Inebika-emi, explained that the youths only demanded an explanation as to why the operation was happening without consultation with the youth leaders.
Inebika-emi disclosed that four youths of the community were injured and detained by the NDLEA.
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He said the NDLEA operatives whisked them away to the state’s capital, Yenagoa, for treatment in an unnamed hospital, but barred their relatives from visiting them.
He, thus, pleaded with the NDLEA state commander and the Bayelsa State Government to wade into the matter.
The NDLEA, in its reply, rubbished the claims by the community’s youth leader.
“What the Youth President failed to disclose is that, on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, suspected drug dealers and criminals taking refuge in his community attacked NDLEA officers after the officers had successfully arrested a suspected drug dealer and his sales assistant, and were attempting to leave.
“The irate indigenes of the Oduma community blocked the bridge to the community, overpowered the advance team of officers, seized a pistol, freed the two suspects, took the recovered exhibits, and vandalised the restoration taxi with registration number BYS 060 TR, which was provided to the command by the Bayelsa State Government.
“They shot and stabbed the NDLEA officers. It was only when they sighted the NDLEA backup tactical team that they began to flee, which prevented further fatalities.
“The State Commander of the NDLEA, Bayelsa State, Kanu Chukwuemeka, is using this opportunity to call on the paramount ruler and the entire leadership of the community to produce, within seven days, the pistol taken from the officers, the two male suspects arrested, and the recovered exhibits, or be prepared to face legal action,” the statement from the NDLEA read.
