An operative of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, was reportedly killed by gunmen, close to a military checkpoint in Ebonyi State.

The operative was killed when the gunmen attacked an NDLEA team on duty along Ezzamgbo axis of the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway, yesterday.

Another operative reportedly sustained injuries during the incident.Vanguard gathered that the gunmen also collected a rifle from the officers. They also set ablaze an NDLEA patrol Hilux van.

The source said: “On February 20, 2022, at about 300hrs at a drug checkpoint along Enugu Abakaliki expressway, Ezzangbo, unknown gunmen attacked drug law enforcement agents and shot two officers on duty.

“One officer was killed while the other one was shot on the leg, which fractured his leg. One rifle collected, one patrol Hilux van burnt. The names of the victims not yet disclosed.”

Spokesperson of NDLEA in Ebonyi State, Mr Audu Benji. said he was in a meeting and would get back to Vanguard after the meeting. He is yet to do so hours after the meeting even as he refused to take subsequent calls or reply to messages.

Police spokesperson, Loveth Odah, could not be reached as she didn’t pick calls put across to her phone.

NDLEA intercepts counterfeit $4.7m cash in Abuja

Meanwhile, the agency, yesterday, disclosed that its operatives foiled an attempt by a syndicate to steal at least N2.7 billion from the Nigerian economy by pushing into circulation fake $4.7 million cash.

The operatives had in the early hours of last Friday intercepted a consignment sent from Lagos to Abuja at Abaji area of the Federal Capital Territory.

Controlled delivery of the parcelled counterfeit US dollars totalling $4,760,000 led to the arrest of a principal suspect, 42-year-old Abdulmumini Maikasuwa.

The seizure followed intelligence received by the FCT command of the agency detailing the movement of the cash and the vehicle conveying it.

Nursing mum arrested 3 weeks after bail on drug offence

Also, the agency’s operatives in Kwara State arrested a nursing mother, Mrs Rashidat Adebayo, 38, barely three weeks after she was granted administrative bail following her arrest for dealing in illicit drugs

She was again arrested in Offa with assorted drugs such as Tramadol, Swinol, Diazepam and Pentazocine injection ampules.

Before her latest arrest last Thursday, the nursing mother had been arrested and granted bail on January 24, 2022 for dealing with similar drugs.

In the same vein, NDLEA officers have arrested two drug dealers: Sani Isa (aka Bilaz) and Bala Yerima in Hong, Adamawa state with 239 blocks of cannabis Sativa weighing 209kg, just as operatives of the Bauchi state Command have intercepted a truck marked FFF 422 XB coming from Lagos to Maiduguri, at Azare, Bauchi.

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