NDLEA Clamps Down on Female Undergraduate, Lover For Illicit Drug Business in Abuja

 

 

By Frank Oshanugor

 

 

Operatives of the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Abuja have arrested a female undergraduate (University name withheld) and her boyfriend for engaging in the illegal production of drugs and merchandising in same.

 

Operatives of the Agency arrested Rhoda Agboje and her boyfriend, Ifeanyi Nwankwo, both of who specialise in producing and selling drug cookies to school children and other unsuspecting members of the public in Abuja.

 

Narcotics agents with the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Command of the NDLEA have also launched a manhunt for another member of the syndicate involved in producing the cookies with Arizona, a highly psychoactive variant of cannabis; alcohol and Rohypnol among other ingredients.

Their activities came to light following the arrest of Rhoda Agboje with four pieces of the drug cookies on Sunday, 18th April, 2021. She was arrested at the NNPC Cooperative estate, opposite Gaduwa estate in Abuja based on a complaint that she gave an unsuspecting young girl the cookies to eat.

 

After eating the drug cookies, the girl lost her mind and could not sleep, making incoherent utterances due to the effects of the cookies.

 

It was gathered that under interrogation, the prime suspect, Rhoda confessed she prepared the cookies with a friend and sells each pack of three pieces at N1, 500. A follow-up operation in her boyfriend’s house led to the recovery of over 200 pieces of the drug cookies.

 

According to the Commander, FCT Command of the NDLEA, Mohammed Malami Sokoto, “The boyfriend, Ifeanyi Nwankwo and all the equipment used for the production of the cookies were brought to the office for further investigation. The suspect confirmed that she sells at parties and to unsuspecting members of the public, including school children that are the most vulnerable. The suspect also supplies some supermarkets and clubs in the FCT.”

 

While commending officers and men of the FCT Command for unraveling the syndicate, Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) said what the syndicate was doing is not only criminal but equally unconscionable by deliberately luring school children into drug under the cover of selling to them biscuits or cookies. “I wish to draw the attention of parents to this new devious strategy to get children addicted to drug cookies and to urge them to remain vigilant while monitoring what their wards bring home from school or consume as snack”, Marwa stated on Tuesday.