Maduako Igbokwe l Wednesday, March 10, 2021
ONITSHA, Anambra – A traditional ruler in Anambra state who was allegedly linked by the National Drug Law Enforce Agency (NDLEA) with discovery of drugs in his palace has said that he is not aware that any agency has recovered drugs from his palace.
The NDLEA which did not name the monarch said that 58.5 grammes of cocaine and 13.9 grammes of heroin were recovered from the undisclosed palace.
However, the traditional ruler who was reacting to the report that cocaine and heroine were discovered in his palace said he is not aware of any such development .
“I’m sorry that I am not aware of all these issues” he said. Recall that on Thursday many media houses reported that NDLEA in Anambra State have uncovered various quantities of cocaine and heroin stashed in the palace of unnamed Traditional ruler in the state.
However ,a sources close to the palace described the news as laughable and misleading . The source who never wanted his name on print said the cocaine in the palace were not discovered because the traditional ruler invited the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA to come over and evacuate those drugs his men seized from users.
According the source , the monarch complimented the efforts of the agency in getting ride of drugs abuse in the state, especially his community .
“Our traditional ruler only assisted the agency in sanitising and mopping up of drugs in the town from illegal users. In the history of our traditional ruler he has no record of involvement in drugs business or dubious business transition.
The Igwe as the traditional ruler and the chief security officer in the town ,he took it upon himself to fight drugs abuse to compliment NDLEA fight against illicit drugs in the state” he said. According to him, our traditional ruler officially wrote a letter to NDLEA’s command in Awka asking them to come over to evacuate the drugs seized by his security men.
“We are surprised to read that cocaine and heroine were discovered in the palace of our traditional ruler” he said. Also a source close to NDLEA in Awka Anambra state also debunked that drugs were discovered in the palace of the traditional ruler .
The source who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reason said those cocaine and heroine in the palace were the ones seized by the palace security men as part of the traditional ruler efforts in assisting the agency in the fight against illegal drugs in the state .
“The said drugs in the palace were those seized by his men and kept in his palace for the NDLEA to come and evacuate them” the source said . The source further confirmed that the traditional ruler had earlier written to NDLEA asking the agency to come and evacuate the drugs seized from ilegal users in the town .
“What the NDLEA did was to go there and evacuate the drugs and nothing more ” he said . Also findings by our reporter ,shows that the drugs in the palace did not belong to the traditional ruler but drugs seized by the traditional ruler’s security men. The finding also confirmed that the monarch wrote to NDLEA inviting them to come over and evacuate drugs seized from illegal drug users in the town .
We gathered that the drugs were not found in the Igwe palace but the Igwe actually organized a raid operation to sanitize his domain. According to the letter obtained by our reporter which was signed by the palace secretary, the Monarch invited the NDLEA to come and evacuate those drugs seized from drug users.
The letter read in parts “His Majesty has promptly reported this seizure of hard drugs to you personally though timing for the handover of caches of drugs has been checkered ,however ,we do expect that today being the 3rd of March 2021,we shall handover to your men who will receive and sign .
We hereby ask for your cooperation in sanitising our kingdom of hard drugs with the cooperation of our ever ready operatives” . When contacted the commander of Anambra state command ,Mohammed Idris said that he cannot comment on the matter since it is before his superior in Abuja, noting that whoever wants clarification should contact the headquarters.
