Rose Ejembi, Makurdi

The Benue State Police Command has seized a large quantity of substance suspected to be Indian hemp concealed in a J-5 bus.

Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who confirmed this, on Tuesday, said three persons, including the driver, the conductor and the suspected owner of the consignment, were arrested along Aliade-Otukpo road, at the weekend.

Daily Sun observed that the marijuana were neatly packaged in parcels like loafs of bread and concealed in a fabricated inner chamber of the J-5 bus away from the prying eyes of Nigerians especially security agencies.

The police commissioner also said that the suspects confessed that they were transporting the consignment from Edo State to Maiduguri in Borno State for onward delivery to its owner who is suspected to be in the business for a long time.

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“We are happy to inform you that we made a seizure of large quantity of Indian hemp through a cartel that use the Aliade/Otukpo road to perpetrate the distribution of Indian hemps. The way they were hidden in the J5 bus used in transporting the Indian hemp points to the fact there is a serious organised cartel behind the illegal trade.”

Owoseni who revealed that 513 of such parcel weighing between three to four kilograms of Indian hemp were concealed in the J-5 bus explained that investigation was already on to ascertain who are those behind the illegal trade with a view to arresting them.