Nosa Aituamen
Three officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) are currently hospitalized following a violent attack by armed men during a raid operation in the Jahi area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Thursday night.
Spokesman for the agency, Mr. Femi Babafemi in a news statement said, the incident unfolded as a team of NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, successfully executed a raid on an uncompleted building in the NNPC area of Jahi.
The operation resulted in the seizure of a significant quantity of illicit substances, including 74 bottles and 10 litres of codeine syrup, 48 grams of tramadol 225mg, and 4.9 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis.
Authorities also recovered five android mobile phones from the location.
However, as the NDLEA team concluded their operation and were departing the scene, Mr. Babafemi explained that, they were ambushed by armed assailants who opened fire.
Tragically, three NDLEA personnel sustained gunshot wounds in the attack. One officer was hit in the rib, while the other two suffered injuries to their back and leg, respectively.
Following the attack, the injured officers received initial stabilization at the Police Clinic in Garki Area 1 before being transferred to the National Hospital in Abuja for more comprehensive medical treatment.
Reacting to the development, Chairman, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), who was away on official duties in Kano at the time of the incident, expressed his gratitude to the staff of the Police Clinic for their swift response and support.
He also extended his appreciation to the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital for personally overseeing the care of the wounded officers, having been directly contacted by the NDLEA boss.
Gen. Marwa also personally spoke with the injured officers via telephone to convey his well wishes for their speedy recovery.
He assured that the Agency would leverage all available resources and collaborate closely with other security agencies to identify and apprehend those responsible for the heinous attack on the NDLEA operatives.