The Deputy Leader of the Senate, Oyelola Ashiru, has challenged the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to charge anyone found with hard drugs in his house to court.
The Kwara Senator challenged the NDLEA to prosecute anyone arrested by its operatives in connection with illicit drugs.
The lawmaker made the challenge in response to an allegation on Monday by the NDLEA that discovered hard drugs in one of his houses in Ilorin.
OsunDailyNG reports Ashiru had last Wednesday in the Senate during a debate on a Bill seeking to establish a National Institute for Drug Awareness and Rehabilitation, said the “NDLEA is corrupt and already compromised.”
However, the NDLEA, on Monday, said it recovered illicit drugs from the personal residence of the Kwara South Senator, suggesting that the lawmaker’s recent criticisms of the agency stem from personal vendetta rather than genuine concern for the national interest.
The NDLEA Chairman, Brig Gen Buba Marwa (Rtd), countered the senator’s claims. He stated that Ashiru’s remarks were not motivated by altruism but rather by a desire to deflect attention from the agency’s findings.
Represented by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Marwa emphasized that the agency would continue its efforts to dismantle illicit drug networks, including those operating from the senator’s property.
In a quick response, Senator Ashiru, in a statement through his special assistant, Olaitan Adeyanju, challenged the NDLEA to charge the culprits allegedly found in his house to court.
He said the exposure of the corruption in the NDLEA is responsible for the agency’s attacks on the lawmaker.
The statement reads in part: “The NDLEA claims to have discovered drugs in Senator Ashiru’s Ilorin house but there’s no information on which court of law the culprits were charged to.
“In fact, Senator Ashiru has been vocal about the NDLEA’s corruption and compromise, which might be the reason behind these allegations.”
The statement added that Ashiru didn’t send any aide to influence the dropping of drug allegations against Tosin Odepidian, and the names mentioned by the agency are unfamiliar.
“However, the Senator has challenged the agency to prosecute anyone that is found with illicit drugs,” he said.
