THE Deputy Senate Leader, Oyelola Ashiru, has urged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to prosecute anyone arrested for involvement in illicit drug activities.
This followed allegations made by the NDLEA accusing him of attempting to shield individuals linked to drug offenses from prosecution.
Ashiru, representing Kwara South, during a senate session last week, voiced support for a Bill proposing the establishment of the National Institute for Drug Awareness and Rehabilitation, citing concerns about corruption and compromise within the NDLEA, which he described as a “compromised” agency.
But in response, the NDLEA, through its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, alleged at a press briefing on Monday that Ashiru’s remarks were motivated by personal grievances.
Babafemi claimed that Ashiru had tried to stop the arrest and trial of certain individuals found with drugs in his Ilorin residence, and that his comments were an attempt to discredit the agency.
In a swift reaction to the NDLEA’s allegation, Ashiru, through his special assistant, Olaitan Adeyanju, in a statement refuting the claim, called on the NDLEA to go ahead and prosecute anyone found guilty of drug-related offenses, challenging the agency to provide proof of their accusations.
According to the statement: “We find it preposterous and mere fishing for justification that NDLEA had to wait for the senator’s observation on the floor of the senate before making its spurious allegations.
“As a matter of fact, Ashiru never employed any aids bearing Ibrahim Mohammed and Mohammed Yahaya, as bandied by NDLEA.
“The agency claimed that it operatives visited the senator’s Ilorin house and found nothing incriminating. The entire house was searched and nothing incriminating was found.
“If any drugs were found on certain persons mentioned by the NDLEA, it is rational to ask at which court of law were the culprits charged?
“It is also important to state that Ashiru has not sent any aide to the NDLEA to influence the dropping of drug allegations against anyone known as Tosin Odepidian. Indeed, all the names mentioned by the agency are strange and none works directly or indirectly with Ashiru.
“The NDLEA has the duty to take anyone suspected of drug dealing to court, rather than name-calling and engaging in media trial.
“This clarification aims to set the record straight and address the misleading information circulated by the NDLEA. It is an open secret that many criminals, cultists, armed robbers and drug addicts find their way back into business after gratifying law enforcement officers.
“The NDLEA ought to search its house and fish out bad eggs, rather than seeking cheap publicity.
“Ashiru remains committed to serving the people of Kwara South and upholding the truth at all times in the search for strict professionalism among our law enforcement agencies.”
