The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Rivers State has denied the news that its command office in the state was attacked by suspected cultists. The public affairs officer of NDLEA in the state, Emmanuel Ogbumgbada, confirmed in a statement issued in Port Harcourt that the only incident that occurred was an attack on the agency’s operatives by cultists in the Diobu area of Port Harcourt on April 14, 2023.
According to the statement, the operatives of the NDLEA Rivers State Command raided a hangout around Odunze Street, Mile 3 Diobu, Port Harcourt, and apprehended a suspected drug dealer named Izuu Isuofia, popularly called ’50’ with some quantity of Cannabis Sativa. However, while trying to move the suspect to the patrol van, he raised an alarm and resisted arrest, which led to a scuffle, and within minutes, hoodlums in their large numbers accosted the operatives and freed the already handcuffed suspect.
The assailants aimed to free the drug kingpin who was already arrested and handcuffed, and they quickly dispersed as soon as they succeeded in freeing him from the operatives. No casualty was recorded during the incident, and the State Commander, Ahmed Mamuda, has tasked the operatives of the Command to deploy all human and investigative assets to ensure that the suspect and his cohorts are arrested and brought to book.
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Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the killing of a suspected cultist by members of a rival cult group in the Diobu axis of Port Harcourt on Wednesday night. The killing, which occurred along Ekwe Street, off Ikwerre Road, was as a result of cult rivalry, said the police spokesperson in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko.
The Commissioner of Police, Effiong Okon, has mandated tactical teams and other officers to fish out the perpetrators and sponsors of the cult clash while investigation is ongoing.