By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Deputy Leader of the Senate, Senator Oyelola Ashiru, yesterday challenged the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency to prosecute anyone arrested by its operatives in connection with illicit drugs.
On Wednesday last week, during consideration of a bill seeking to establish the National Institute for Drug Awareness and Rehabilitation in the Senate, Ashiru commented that the proposal was a welcome development as, according to him, “NDLEA is corrupt and already compromised.”
But the NDLEA, in its reaction to Ashiru’s comment at a press briefing addressed by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in Abuja on Monday, alleged that the Senator’s comments were vindictive.
Babafemi, at the briefing, alleged that Senator Ashiru made disparaging comments on NDLEA last week because he failed to stop the arrest and trial of some people found to be involved in drug abuse in his house.
However, in a swift reaction to NDLEA’s allegations, Senator Ashiru’s special assistant, Olaitan Adeyanju, in a statement, asked the anti-graft agency to go ahead and charge anyone accused of engaging in illicit drugs to court.
Part of the statement read, “The NDLEA claims to have discovered drugs in Senator Ashiru’s Ilorin house, but there’s no information on which court of law the culprits were charged to.
“Senator Ashiru has been vocal about the NDLEA’s corruption and compromise, which might be the reason behind these allegations.”
The senator’s assistant also clarified that they didn’t send any aides to influence the dropping of drug allegations against Tosin Odepidian, and the names mentioned by the agency are unfamiliar
“However, the Senator has challenged the agency to prosecute anyone found of illicit drugs,” the statement added.
