Abducted retired NDLEA officer rescued in Benue

From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi

A retired officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) who was abducted by a drug cartel has reportedly been rescued from his abductors.

NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, in a statement he issued in Abuja on Sunday, disclosed that the retired officer was taken away after officers arrested a 19-year-old female drug dealer, Mngunengen Achir, in Aliade, Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State.

Babafemi added that Achir’s drug cartel had seized the retired NDLEA officer who they thought was still in active service of the agency and had demanded that the suspect be released before they would release the victim.

‘Achir was arrested with 5.5kg cannabis and 112grams of diazepam on October 6 in the Aliade area of the (Benue) State,’ the NDLEA statement indicated.

‘Other members of the arrested lady’s cartel abducted the retired NDLEA personnel from that community who they assumed was still a serving officer, took him to a forest and demanded the release of the suspect in custody before their victim would be freed.’

An insider in the Agency who did not want to be named suggested to our correspondent on Monday that the retired NDLEA officer had been rescued from his abductors.

Benue State Commander of NDLEA Mrs Florence Ezeonye could not be reached for comment at the time of this report.