Hoodlums in the Opuje community located in the Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State have attacked Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
Though NDLEA operatives were able to repel the hoodlums, three officers were reportedly injured in the attack.
The incident was contained in a statement by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Thursday.
According to the statement, the hoodlums were said to have blocked all roads leading to the community because they wanted to stop NDLEA operatives from accessing the forest warehouses.
News About Nigeria learnt that these warehouses are used to house a significant quantity of processed psychoactive substances, intended for nationwide distribution in preparation for the upcoming Christmas and New Year seasons.
According to the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, one of the three who was injured in the attack was shot in the head, while some of the vehicles used for the operation were riddled with bullets.
He further disclosed that the officers injured in the attack had been rushed to the hospital for treatment, while the officer who was shot in the head had major surgery on Wednesday, December 6, to remove the bullets in his brain.
Babafemi noted that the attack is coming barely 11 months after armed youths recruited by drug barons ambushed NDLEA officers, who stormed the community to destroy warehouses and tents storing over 317,417 kilograms (317.4 metric tonnes) of cannabis sativa on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
Reacting to the attack, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) stated that those sponsoring attacks on the operatives would know no rest until they are all brought before the law to face the consequences of their action and their criminal trade terminated.
