Senate summons NDLEA to defend its allegations against a Nigerian senator. The agency claimed it raided the lawmaker’s house recently and arrested his aides with drugs.
The accusations emerged after Senator Ashiru allegedly made disparaging comments about the NDLEA. Reports said the senator described the NDLEA as the “most corrupt and compromised.” He was contributing to debates during plenary.
In reaction, NDLEA claimed the senator was on vendatta. It added that operatives arrested two of the senator’s aides recently for drug offences.
Establishment of a panel
The senate on Tuesday set up a six-member panel to investigate the allegation. Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe chairs the panel, which includes Senators Kaka Shehu, Ede Dafinone, Ireti Kingibe, Afolabi Shauibu, and Lawal Usman.
Senator Ashiru, coing under Order 42 of the Senate Standing Order, stated how the NDLEA’s reaction to his comments affected his integrity. He asserted, “I neither take alcohol nor carbonated drinks except water.” Ashiru urged the senate to take the matter seriously.
Accusations of vendetta before Senate summons
According to NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Ashiru’s comments came after the agency raided his home in Kwara State. He claimed the agency recovered drugs and arrested the senator’s aides. Babafemi stated, “The personal house of the senator had been raided recently, where drugs and illicit substances were recovered.”
He mentioned that they identified the senator’s house as a drug joint. “Based on credible intelligence, our operatives raided the senator’s house, where two aides were arrested,” he added.
The NDLEA also highlighted Ashiru’s attempts to influence the case against one of his aides. “The personal assistant to the senator visited our headquarters, but the case proceeded to court,” Babafemi explained.
Commitment to integrity
Even as Senate summons NDLEA, the agency vows to remain steadfast despite Senator Ashiru’s attacks. “If Senator Ashiru has a personal grudge against NDLEA, it shouldn’t be cloaked as a matter of public concern,” the agency stated. It stressed that Ashiru was trying to undermine the integrity of the agency with his comments. It accused the senator of abuse of his legislative position.
The agency concluded it will continue to dismantle illicit drug networks across the country, “including the one operating from the senator’s residence.”
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