- The Edo NDLEA denies reports attributed to its commander regarding drugs being hawked like sachet water in Benin City
- The agency clarifies that the commander’s remarks were misrepresented, highlighting specific streets for drug trade, not citywide sales
The Edo Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) refuted a media report attributing a statement to its commander, Alumona Callys Obioma, claiming that “drugs are being hawked in the streets of Benin City like sachet water.” The agency dismissed the report as misleading and sensationalist.
In a statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, Bebetu Ondotimi, it was clarified that the alleged statement did not accurately represent the remarks made by the State Commander during a courtesy visit to the Chief of Staff to the Executive Governor of Edo State on March 21, 2024.
Ondotimi highlighted that the State Commander assumed duty only four weeks ago, making it implausible for him to have surveyed the entire state to make such a sweeping statement. He emphasized that the reported comment was damaging and malicious, as it misrepresented the Commander’s actual briefing.
The spokesperson clarified that the Commander had been briefed by his predecessor about the illicit trade of narcotic drugs along specific streets in Benin City, such as Iyamu Street and Country Home Area. This briefing did not imply that drugs were being sold like sachet water throughout the city.
Ondotimi stressed that there has never been a classification of Benin City as a drug-infested area or a place where drugs are hawked like pure water. He urged the public to disregard the misleading report and reiterated the NDLEA’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and abuse in the state.