NDLEA Nabs Impersonator

Luck ran out on Emeka Emmanuel Madu, 24, a teacher, residing in Sabon Gari, Kano, North-West Nigeria when on 18 October, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, nabbed him at a branch of Diamond Bank in the city, attempting to impersonate as an agent of the agency.

Madu had posed as an operative of NDLEA from Abuja, claiming he was detailed to investigate the said bank on activities related to money laundering.

“The suspect (Madu) told the Bank officials that he was an NDLEA officer from Abuja on Bank inspection. This is just one out of many undetected cases of criminally minded persons who defraud unwary individuals and corporate bodies while operating under a fake identity,”  Haruna Kwetishe, Kano state Commander of NDLEA told P.M.NEWS.

“I am a school teacher with Eleganza International Academy. I went to Diamond Bank to open account with them but did not know that the bank management was already suspicious; because I learnt there was a robbery incident there. I only told them that I bought a form to be enrolled as an NDLEA officer,” the suspect claimed.

But P.M.NEWS investigation reveals that the suspect had come to the bank with the intention to, “intimidate and defraud us under false identity,” a top bank official noted, adding that, “the management immediately alerted the NDLEA which disowned the suspect and arrested him.”

Kwetishe urged the public to exercise vigilance and always insist on sighting the identity cards of persons claiming to be NDLEA personnel, “if you nurse any suspicion, call the nearest Law Enforcement outfit for assistance.”

Meanwhile, the Command has in 10 months confiscated over 2, 665.006 kilo grammes of assorted hard drugs comprising of cocaine, heroin, Indian Hemp and other psychopathic substances, with street monetary value of over N133.3 million.

“You can imagine the quantum of damage that these quantity of drugs seized …could have caused the users and the entire indigenes of Kano state whom the activities of users and dealers in drugs would have affected in one way or the other if that quantity was not taken out of circulation by the Command,” Kwetishe wondered.

Uche Abatus, 27, whose mother, Mary, was recently sentenced to 32 months imprisonment with hard labour for trafficking 26 kilo grammes of Cannabis, was also paraded by the Command for being in possession of 61 kilo grammes of weeds suspected to be Indian Hemp.

“Mary Abatus and her 17-year old granddaughter were arrested few months back while trafficking in 26kgs of dried weeds suspected to be Indian Hemp from Delta state to Kano.

“This latest arrest of Uche Abatus is an indication that the drug trade has become a family business. But the NDLEA in Kano is duty bound to break that jinx, or call it cause of drug trafficking in their family,” the NDLEA boss vowed.

Also John Itom, 72, described by the narcotic agency as, “a notorious Indian Hemp dealer in Kano,” was arrested on 19 October with 108.5 kilo grammes of weeds suspected to be Indian Hemp.

The old man, NDLEA say already has an on-going drug case at a Federal High Court, Kano.

Kwetishe also paraded Nafiu Ibrahim Yakubu, 21, a first year student of Sociology, Bayero University, Kano, BUK, from Yobe state who was nabbed on 15 October within Kano city, with 450 grammes of weeds suspected to be Cannabis, including a locally made pistol.

“The possession of both Indian Hemp and a pistol by this suspect lends credence to the nexus between drugs and other violent crimes. Most misadventures into criminality are propelled by the use of hard drugs,” the Kano NDLEA boss stressed.

Yakubu who has already been charged to court for drug trafficking, will also be handed over to the police for further investigation over illegal possession of a den gun.

The Kano NDLEA made an inroad on 17 October when operatives of the agency apprehended Dahiru Shuaibu and Hussaini Hamza in Kura Local Government Area of the city, who were among the local drug peddlers that attacked officers of the Command on duty and set ablaze their vehicle few months ago.

“The suspects arrested with 7.21kgs of dried weeds suspected to be Indian Hemp…had in a previous raid this year mobbed my officers and burnt down the vehicle used for operation. They are to stand trial for being in possession of Indian Hemp and obstruction of the operation of the agency,” Kwetishe said.

Within 10 months, Kano Command of NDLEA has arrested 556 suspects out of which 130 have been convicted, while 584 addicted youths have been counselled, including those brought to the agency voluntarily by their parents.

—Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano

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