Why We Stormed, Raided Senator’s House, Made Arrests – NDLEA

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Monday, October 21, 2024, said the recent raid of Senator Oyelola Yisa Ashiru (APC, Kwara South), residence located in GRA Ilorin, is responsible for the barrage of attacks on the it by the federal lawmaker.

The NDLEA said that during the raid on the Senator’s house in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, some drugs and illicit substances were recovered while two of his aides namely; Ibrahim Mohammed and Muhammed Yahaya were arrested.

It said that based on credible intelligence and surveillance which confirmed that the senator’s house was being used as a drug joint for drug dealers and users, the house was raided by the operatives of the Agency at 1:30 p.m. on February 4, 2024, during which the two aides were arrested, while a third suspect escaped arrest.

The NDLEA which stated these at a press conference in Abuja by Femi Babafemi, said that recent attack on the it by Senator Ashiru was borne out of vendetta rather than on any altruistic motive or national interest.

While debunking Senator Ashiru’s assertion that the NDLEA is corrupt and compromised…, Babafemi described the senator’s attack as “unfortunate”.

He said; “In another encounter with the senator, the agency also received intelligence that some of his boys popularly known as ‘Omo Senator’ operating from his hometown, Offa, were equally dealing in illicit drugs.

“A raid was subsequently carried out on their joint in Offa where one of them, Oluwatosin Odepidan was arrested and illicit drugs such as methamphetamine and cannabis were recovered from him on June 11, 2023.

“The bid to get the agency to drop the case against Odepidan including a visit to the Kwara State Command headquarters of the agency in Ilorin by the Personal Assistant to the senator, one Omoluabi, was rebuffed as Odepidan was promptly charged to court and prosecuted.

“Though the culprit jumped court bail in 2023, he was re-arrested in 2024 after the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest. He was eventually convicted and sentenced in June 2024.

“There is no doubt that setting up another agency is within the power of the Senate and if we are invited to contribute to the debate we will be willing to offer our opinion.

“While we cannot fault the power of the Senate on that, yet for a member of the upper chamber to have made such an unfounded and unwarranted categorical statement against the agency led us to look inward to see what could have been responsible for such a carpeting general statement.

“What we found was shocking, and we concluded that his statement came from a place of vendetta and certainly not out of public interest or any altruistic motive.

 “So, going by this backstory, it is deductible that these encounters that the Agency has had with the senator, must have been responsible for his outburst, and unfortunately, false allegation, the type that nobody within and outside of government has ever levelled against NDLEA before.”

Babafemi said that in spite of the impression Senator Ashiru tried to create about the NDLEA, the agency has continued to receive accolades from local and international bodies for its successes in the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

He further said that the NDLEA would remain undeterred by Senator Ashiru’s attack but, will be relentless in its ongoing effort to dismantle all illicit drug networks across the country, including the one allegedly operating in the lawmaker’s house.