{"id":1378,"date":"2013-04-02T19:36:52","date_gmt":"2013-04-02T19:36:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigerian-newspapers\/army-hands-over-124-bags-of-suspected-indian-hemp-to-ndlea\/"},"modified":"2013-04-02T19:36:52","modified_gmt":"2013-04-02T19:36:52","slug":"army-hands-over-124-bags-of-suspected-indian-hemp-to-ndlea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/army-hands-over-124-bags-of-suspected-indian-hemp-to-ndlea\/","title":{"rendered":"Army hands over 124 bags of suspected Indian hemp to NDLEA"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Nigerian Army on Tuesday in Abuja handed over 124 bags of suspected Indian hemp it seized from separate operations to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).<\/p>\n

Lt.-Col. Adeyinka Aderanti, Commanding Officer in the Public Relations Unit, Gen. Agui Ironsi Cantonment Abuja, also handed over a suspect to the agency.<\/p>\n

Aderanti told newsmen that the bags of cannabis were seized at a military check point at Abaji on the Abuja-Lokoja expressway on March 31.<\/p>\n

He said 31 of the bags were seized from a J5 bus with registration number, XB 572 BLD by troops conducting check on vehicles at Abaji.<\/p>\n

Aderanti said that the other 93 were seized from another J5 bus with registration number, XH 572 NSR.<\/p>\n

According to him, the first bus jumped a queue to beat the check point and in the process, almost knocked down one of the soldiers.<\/p>\n

“The reserve troops pursued the vehicle and seeing that there was no escape route, the driver and other occupants abandoned it on the middle of the road and ran into a nearby bush.<\/p>\n

“The soldiers combed the bus but all efforts to arrest the culprits failed,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

He said that when the second bus was flagged down and searched, it was discovered that it was conveying bags of the weeds, adding that the bags were covered with plantain.<\/p>\n

Aderanti said that the driver of the second bus, who was arrested by the troops, claimed ignorance of the items he was conveying.<\/p>\n

“He claimed that the owner of the goods was waiting for him somewhere along Abaji-Abuja to receive the items.<\/p>\n

“All efforts made to lure the other culprits and get them arrested did not yield any positive result.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

He said preliminary investigation showed that the items were meant for Zaria and Abuja.<\/p>\n

The driver, who spoke through an interpreter, said that he brought the items from Edo, claiming that that he did not know the content of the bags.<\/p>\n

Mr Peter Adegbe, the Public Relations Officer of the FCT Command of the NDLEA, who received the weeds, estimated each bag at N100,000.<\/p>\n

Adegbe said that when they were taken up north and across the border of the country, a bag could be sold for between N150,000 and N200,000.<\/p>\n

He commended the army for partnering with the agency in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.<\/p>\n

The NDLEA spokesman assured that the agency would begin investigation into the seizure, to prosecute the suspect.<\/p>\n

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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. <\/a>A DisNaija.Com<\/a> network.<\/p>\n

Source: The Nation Newspaper<\/p>\n

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