Sam Philip
An officer of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Ondo State has been shot dead by suspected drug peddlers..
Simply identified as Jide, the officer was said to have been shot dead during a raid of an apartment at Ita’nla area of Ondo town on Tuesday .
An witness account disclosed that a team of NDLEA operatives stormed the said apartment suspectedly occupied by drug peddlers, but was resisted by the deadly drug dealers who engaged the operatives in gun duel.
A source disclosed that the operatives were said to have acted on a tip-off attempting to recover illicit drugs stockpiled in the ceiling of the apartment.
The source said: “I guess the team got a tip-off that some drugs were stored inside the residential building at Ita’nla in Ondo. So, the officials came very early in a sting operation to bust the building.
“Immediately they came in, some of them entered into the building to recover the exhibits while Officer Jide stood outside mounting the sentry guard. Suspected gunmen came from nowhere and opened fire on him and was shot in the neck.
“The officer was immediately rushed to the hospital, but the doctors on duty confirmed him dead on arrival. It is a very sad development.”
Efforts to get the incident confirmed by the spokesman to NDLEA Ondo State Command, Adebayo Solomon, proved futile.
However, the Public Relations Officer(PPRO) of the state Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade,a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) confirmed the incident.
He disclosed that four persons have been arrested in connection with the incident with a single barrel gun recovered.
Ayanlade said: “Immediately it happened, we reinforced some of our officers down to the scene. We have been able to arrest four prime suspects who are now in our custody.
“We have also recovered a single barrel gun, and investigation is also going on in collaboration with the NDLEA to bring the perpetrators of the dastardly attack and killing to book.”