By Emma Njoku
At least, seven anti-narcotic officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) were injured and one of their vehicles damaged during the arrest of a notorious drug dealer, Micha Godwin, at Nukai market, along Jalingo-Wukari road in Jalingo, the Taraba state capital.
Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi, who made the disclosure in a statement, yesterday, said despite the attack, the officers succeeded in arresting the suspect and recovered some quantities of illicit drugs from him, after which they took their wounded colleagues to the hospital for treatment.
He said: “Following intelligence, the operatives on Tuesday, March 8, stormed the market, at about 2.30pm, to arrest the drug dealer and evacuate illicit substances in his warehouse.
“Soon after the arrest of Micha, miscreants mobilised from the community to attack the officers and vehicles with dangerous weapons.
“A reinforcement from the state Command of the agency and other security agencies was able to move in to rescue the operatives from the scene of attack.”
In custody, the drug dealer said: “What happened today is bad because this is the second time I have been arrested and brought here, but the first arrest was not like this. I don’t know who invited the boys who attacked the NDLEA officers.”
Reacting to the incident, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), condemned the attack and directed immediate switch to new operational guidelines that will make officers and men well positioned to defend themselves, adequately, in the course of carrying out their duties.
He, again, warned that, henceforth, any obstruction or attack on NDLEA operatives in line of duty, by suspects or their supporters, would receive commensurate response.