The law has finally caught up with a pastor and a 27 year-old man for the patronage of Indian hemp. The two men were arrested by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Osun State for the possession of 181 bags of cannabis sativa popularly known as Indian hemp.
Anthonia Edeh, the sector commander of the Agency, told newsmen in Oshogbo about the unfortunate arrest.
According to her, the 45-year-old pastor, and his accomplice were arrested at Ikire in Irewole Local Government Area of the state on Dec. 5, with the illicit weed weighing 1,838.4 kilogramme.
Men of the command swooped into action based on the information received from patriotic Nigerians and arrested the two suspects in a three bedroom apartment, where the bags of Indian hemp were stocked,” she said.
Edeh also revealed that although three other suspects including a woman escaped arrest, the agency were able to seize the bags filled with cannabis seeds, which they had wanted to keep for the next planting season.
Efforts are ongoing to nab the fleeing culprits, though the pastor is claiming being innocent of the crime, saying that he was only a co-tenant of the other suspect.
The agency has no constitutional power to exonerate him, only the court has the power and the two men will be arraigned soon,” she said.
Meanwhile, another 68.8 kilogramme of Indian hemp, was recovered by Edeh and her men. The contraband goods were stocked inside a Volkswagen Vento car marked AW 652 AKR, on Dec. 2, along Ilobu Road in Osogbo.
Narrating how it was discovered, Edeh said the owner of the car was on the road side waiting for his suspected buyer, but took to his heels when he saw the men of NDLEA approaching him.
While reassuring the commitment of the agency to put a stop to the rampant cultivation, trafficking and peddling of hard drugs across the state, Edeh urged the public to be conscious of their environment and report any activities of drug peddlers or traffickers to the security operatives.
She also cautioned commercial drivers to be at alert and know the kind of goods they carry,“now that we are at the peak of harvesting period”, she advised.
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