Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ijero local government area of Ekiti State, Babatunde Babade, 45, has been arrested for alleged trafficking illicit drugs.
Babade, who was caught with 52.5 kg of skunk, was arrested with two other persons Ilesanmi Shola, 35, and Babajide Johnson, 45.
The NURTW chairman alleged before being arrested by the NDLEA, he had run into security agents who freed him after collecting two bags of skunk and N60, 000 from him.
However, it was not revealed which security agency they belong to.
Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, disclosed these in a statement on Sunday.
Babafemi said the transport union leader was caught with the illicit substance in Akure, the Ondo state capital following intelligence.
Babade was conveying bags of the banned drug in his 1997 model blue Mazda car with registration number: Ekiti JER194 AE from Akure to Ekiti state, the statement revealed.
“Babade, popularly called BB, was taken into custody along with others soon after his arrest at about 2pm on Sunday 18th July, 2021 for interrogation.
“In his statement, he admitted he owns the vehicle used for conveying the drug. He further stated that the car was earlier intercepted by some security agents who detained the two other suspects, his car and eight bags containing cannabis sativa while his brother who drove the vehicle fled.
“He however claimed that following his intervention, the security agents released the suspects and his car to him after taking two of the eight bags containing the drug and N60, 000) from him, before he later ran into NDLEA officers while on his way back to Ekiti,” the statement reads.
Babafemi also said officers of the Benue state command of the Agency intercepted another suspected interstate drug trafficker, 29-year-old Odinaka Ugwuanyi, along Apir Road, Makurdi.
He was caught with 124,000 tablets of Tramadol, Diazepam and Exol-5 altogether weighing 22.55 kilograms.
“The suspect arrested at about 8am on Saturday 17th July, 2021 in a commercial vehicle, said he is from Nsukka local government area of Enugu state.
“He however claimed another passenger he knows who sat next to him in the vehicle dropped the bag containing the drugs with him and fled upon sighting NDLEA officers.”
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