The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has refuted recent accusations made by Senator Oyelola Yisa Ashiru, representing Kwara South, who labeled the agency as “corrupt and compromised” during a Senate debate. The NDLEA described the senator’s comments as baseless and driven by personal vendetta, sharing details of drug raids that allegedly link Ashiru’s aides to illegal activities.
At a press briefing on Monday, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, the NDLEA chairman, addressed the senator’s allegations through the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi. Marwa detailed a series of events that, according to the NDLEA, might explain the senator’s negative comments about the agency.
“The personal house of the senator (Ashiru) in GRA Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, had been raided in the recent past, where drugs and illicit substances were recovered,” Babafemi disclosed. “Two of his aides, Ibrahim Mohammed and Muhammed Yahaya, were arrested during the raid based on credible intelligence that the senator’s residence was being used as a drug joint for dealers and users.”
Babafemi noted that the raid occurred on February 4, 2024, at 1:30 p.m., during which the two aides were apprehended, while a third suspect managed to escape. He further revealed that another raid in Offa, Ashiru’s hometown, led to the arrest of a third associate, Oluwatosin Odepidan, who was caught with methamphetamine and cannabis in June 2023.
“The bid to get the agency to drop the case against Odepidan, including a visit to the Kwara State Command by the senator’s Personal Assistant, was rebuffed,” Babafemi continued. “Odepidan was promptly charged to court, and though he initially jumped bail, he was rearrested in 2024 and eventually convicted and sentenced.”
The NDLEA’s statements came after Senator Ashiru, during a plenary session, criticized the agency while debating a bill to establish a National Institute for Drug Awareness and Rehabilitation. He claimed that the NDLEA’s inefficiency contributed to Nigeria’s growing drug trafficking issues. “The failure of NDLEA has resulted in the high rate of drug trafficking going on in the country. The NDLEA is corrupt and compromised, hence, I support the creation of a National Institute for Drug Awareness and Rehabilitation,” Ashiru had said.
In response, the NDLEA expressed disappointment over the senator’s comments, calling them defamatory. Babafemi emphasized that the NDLEA waited for a week, hoping that Ashiru would clarify or retract his statements, but the senator did not. This led the agency to publicly address the allegations to ensure that their side of the story reached the Senate, their partners, and the public.
“Senator Ashiru’s invectives against the NDLEA are borne out of vendetta, and not in the public interest,” Babafemi said. He argued that if the NDLEA were truly compromised, it would not receive international support and recognition for its efforts against drug trafficking. “We have continued to receive accolades from local and international bodies, including facilities and support from the UK, US, and other countries,” he added.
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In contrast to the senator’s claims, the NDLEA highlighted its achievements over the past three years, including over 52,000 arrests, more than 9,000 convictions, and extensive drug awareness campaigns across Nigeria. Babafemi asserted that the agency remains committed to its mandate, despite the negative portrayal by the senator.
“And we dare say that such attacks will not deter us from our ongoing efforts to dismantle all illicit drug networks, including the one operating from the senator’s residence,” he stressed.
This clash between the NDLEA and Senator Ashiru follows a broader debate in the Senate over Nigeria’s drug policies. During the same session, Senator Kawu Sumaila of Kano South (NNPP) also criticized the role of politicians in fueling drug abuse among Nigerian youths. “The institute would not help the situation until politicians change their way of doing things,” Sumaila argued, challenging his colleagues to swear on religious texts that they were not involved in drug-related activities.
However, the Deputy Senate President, Barau I. Jibrin, who presided over the session, ruled Sumaila out of order, stating that his remarks were not relevant to the debate at hand.