There was a shootout between some gunmen suspected to be drug peddlers and some operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement on Tuesday in Lagos State.
NIGERIACRIME gathered that the gunmen, which were over 20, ambushed the NDLEA, while they were trailing a drug baron from the Agege area of the state.
The incident was said to have happened around 1 am on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi part of Lagos.
It was learnt that men of the agency had attempted to intercept a truck conveying unknown quantities of Canadian Loud when the gunmen opened fire on the operatives, who were joined by some soldiers to repel the attackers.
The hoodlums, however, escaped with the baron who had been on the watch-list of the drug agency for some time.
The incident was confirmed by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Ojudu Babafemi explained that the agency successfully seized a truckload of Canadian Loud during the operation.
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He said, “It is usually imported from Canada and shipped through neighboring countries like Ghana and the Benin Republic from where the cartels try to smuggle them into Lagos as in this particular case.
“Operatives of the agency trailed a drug movement from the Agege area of Lagos Mainland to the Ikoyi area of Lagos Island in the early hours of Tuesday, January 10, 2023.
“Our operatives blocked the truck and in the process, some suspected fake security agents who were escorting the truck struggled with our operatives, and they eventually escaped with the suspect.
“But our men were able to get the drug-filled truck. The gunmen damaged NDLEA’s operational vehicle and tried to demobilize our operatives as they damaged the windscreen of the vehicle.
“But our operatives got the support of some soldiers who were nearby during the attack, and the soldiers supported the efforts of our operatives, leading our operatives to successfully move the truck containing the drugs to our office.”
Reacting, the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi doubted the involvement of police officers in the attack, noting that the necessary steps would be taken if investigations by the NDLEA identified the attackers as police officers.
Adejobi said, “I doubt the veracity of the claim that the attackers were police officers. No reasonable police officer would involve themselves in drug dealing or attack operatives of the NDLEA during an operation to arrest a drug baron; instead, police officers are supposed to work with the NDLEA to nab criminals.’’