A two-year-old child has been killed in a raid on an alleged drug joint by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Okpanam area of Asaba, Delta State.
Stray bullets from the operatives on Thursday killed the child and wounded his sibling.
The victims had just returned from school to their mother’s shop when they were hit by stray bullets.
Reacting in a statement on Saturday, the agency spokesperson said the NDLEA chairman/chief executive, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd) had set up a panel to investigate the matter.
The statement read, “The Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) has after receiving initial briefings from the Delta state command of NDLEA, set up a panel of top officials from the national headquarters in Abuja to immediately proceed to Asaba for an on-the-spot investigation of the unfortunate incident to establish the facts of the case.
“This follows an initial incident report, which reveals the following: A team of NDLEA operatives carried out an intelligence-based raid of the joint of a notorious drug dealer located at Okpanam area of Asaba at about 1600 hours on Thursday 13th July and in the process of the operation, a Toyota Camry 2008 model, light blue colour at the scene suddenly zoomed off and knocked down one of our officers who are currently in critical condition, undergoing treatment in a hospital.
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“In a bid to demobilize the car and prevent it from escaping, another officer fired a shot aimed at the tyre of the car, which eventually escaped. While the injured officer was rushed to the hospital, the officers received reports of a stray bullet hitting a young person. They immediately located the victim’s father, followed him to the hospital, and assisted in facilitating his treatment. However, he died in the process.”
Babafemi added that the agency had spoken with the victims’ family, promising Nigerians that the matter would be thoroughly investigated.
“We’re in touch with the family to provide necessary assistance while we conclude our incident investigation. We assure the family and the public that we’ll get to the root of the case and take necessary action(s),” he said.
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has condemned the incident, calling for investigation.
