BY SEUN SHOTUNDE, ABEOKUTA
No fewer than 132 bags of Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as Indian Hemp, have been intercepted by men of the 32 Artillery Brigade in Ondo State.
The bags of hard drugs, estimated to worth N5.8 million, were intercepted separately at Omotosho military checkpoint along Benin-Ore highway as well as another checkpoint in Owo, headquarters of Owo Local Government Area of the state.
At the Omotosho military checkpoint, the suspects, conveying 82 bags of Indian hemp, were said to have abandoned their vehicles and fled into the bush.
The two vehicles used in conveying the illicit drugs were two SUVs, identified as an ash coloured Toyota Sequoia, marked APP-918-FA, and a Green coloured Toyota Sequoia, marked FST 169-BW.
However, at Isua town, the two suspects, who were caught transporting the drug, ran out of luck.
The suspects, dressed in police camouflage, caught with 50 bags of Indian Hemp, were identified as Nze Ezenwa, 55, and Stephen Sunday, 35.
They were nabbed while on their way to deliver consignment to one Seriki in Abuja in a white coloured Toyota Sienna mini-bus marked RBC 334 BG.
According to the Officer Commanding, Military Police, Emontimi Konte Cleopas, who handed the suspects and exhibits to officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, the suspects were masked and dressed in Nigeria Police pullover.
“They replaced the original vehicle plate number with fake Nigeria Police vehicle number NPF 1651D and mounted with siren in order to divert attention of security agencies. Items recovered from them were four mobile phones, two wallets and N148, 300.00,” he said.
Deputy Commander, Narcotics of the NDLEA, Ibrahim Adamu, said more investigations would be conducted before the suspects would be prosecuted.
One of the suspects, Ezenwa, who confessed that he was a former police constable, said he was to receive N125, 000 after delivering the goods in Abuja.
According to him, he had always been using police paraphernalia to evade arrest.
