NDLEA operative killed by gunmen in Ebonyi

An operative of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been killed by gunmen in Ebonyi state.

The gunmen were said to have attacked NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Enugu-Abakaliki expressway on Saturday.

TheCable understands that the gunmen had parked their vehicle at the border between Ebonyi and Enugu states, after which they hijacked a luxury bus heading to Ebonyi.

The bus was said to have been stopped for a search at the NDLEA checkpoint in Ebonyi, and while an operative was talking to the driver, the gunmen alighted and started shooting.

Apart from the deceased, another NDLEA operative was shot on the leg while the gunmen also set ablaze the patrol van of the agency.

Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA spokesperson, told TheCable that the anti-narcotics agency is doing everything possible to safeguard its officers on patrol.

“We’re doing everything possible to safeguard our officers and assets in the area,” Babafemi said.

“The chairman had ordered deployment of members of our strike force team in addition to the support from the military and other security agencies as part of our strategic response to the callous attack on our patrol team in the state.”

In recent times, states in the south-east, including Ebonyi, have witnessed a spate of violent attacks on law enforcement agents.

On February 14, three police officers manning a roadblock in front of a police station along the Enugu-Abakaliki highway were killed by gunmen.