National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly men, aged 84 and 75, for allegedly selling illicit drugs to secondary school students in Umuahia, Abia State.
Gatekeepers News reports that the suspects, identified as Godfrey Orji and Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora, are currently in custody and are expected to face prosecution after investigations.
According to NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, Obiora was arrested on June 19 following intelligence reports that he was supplying illicit substances to students and other users from his patent medicine store located on Club Road in Umuahia. A search of the premises reportedly led to the recovery of 4.64 kilograms of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.
The second suspect, Orji, a pensioner, was apprehended by security personnel at Saint Silas Secondary School in Old Umuahia while allegedly supplying illicit substances to two teenage students. The school guards subsequently handed the suspects over to the police, who transferred the case to NDLEA for further investigation.
NDLEA said one of the students, a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School II student, told investigators that the elderly suspect regularly supplied him with drugs, which he consumed and also resold to other students.
The agency added that while the suspects would be prosecuted, the affected students have been placed on counselling and rehabilitation programmes.
