Gunmen Attack Police Station, Kill Inspector in Ondo
* NDLEA arrests 154, convicts 46 in six months
Fidelis David
Gunmen in the early hours of Monday attacked Okuta Elerinla Police Division in Akure, the Ondo State capital, killing a police inspector on duty.
The reason for the attack was yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
The spokesperson of the command, Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the incident, saying investigation has commenced into the attack.
She said: “Policemen who were at alert and alive to their duty repelled them accordingly and the miscreants were unable to gain entrance into the station.
“During the cross fire, one of our gallant station guards AP.207538 0INSPR Temenu Boluwaji was hit by a bullet, he later died on his way to the hospital.”
The Commissioner of Police, Oyeyemi Adesoye Oyediran, has ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department to take over the case and ensure the perpetrators are arrested.
“He is also using this medium to encourage the people of the state to go about their lawful duty without fear, as the days of these criminals are numbered,” the PPRO added.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), Mr Mumuni Raji, has said no fewer than 154 drug offenders have been arrested, while 46 were convicted and sentenced to various jail terms in the state between January and June 2022.
Raji stated this while speaking with journalists in Akure.
He said: “We have successfully convicted 46 from January to June in 2022 and are serving various jail terms. We see it as a great development. We arrested 154 drug offenders in the state. This is worrisome because by the end of last year, 2021, we only arrested 80 offenders.
“Among those arrested were 28 females, while 126 were males. There were cases of some parents who voluntarily brought their children for rehabilitation.
“Sometimes we engage the services medical practitioners and psychiatrists from the Federal Federal Medical Center (FMC), Owo to also see it from their professional angle and this is because some of the drug addicts come with mental cases.
“These doctors counsel them, but for those arrested, all we do is to prosecute them. We have put in place awareness programmes aimed at sensitising the public against drug abuse. We go to secondary schools, tertiary institutions, market places, motor parks, churches and mosques to drum up awareness on the effects of drugs and why they should stop taking it.”
He advised the people of the state to stay away from any act of criminality and drug dealings, saying drug dealings and drug abuse pay nobody.
“There is no benefits in drug abuse. Whatever anyone does with drug is evil. Drug dealers should find a better way of making legitimate income, because drug deal will lead them to destruction or land them in jail,” Raji added.
