Police arrest lawmaker’s aide with Indian hemp

The personal assistant to a member of the House of Representatives who was arrested on Wednesday with 10 sacks of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp in Edo State said yesterday that he took advantage of his boss’ pilgrimage to engage in the illicit business.

The 37-year-old man, Nurudeen Ibrahim who works for Abdulazeez Abubakar, the member representing Mafaranka Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, was arrested by policemen along Auchi-Afuze road with sacks of Indian hemp loaded in the booth of the lawmaker’s official Peugeot 407 car, marked NASS FL 124 REP.

Mr. Ibrahim, who was paraded by the Edo State Police Command, told journalists it was the second time he was coming to buy Indian hemp in Edo State, having earlier engaged in the illicit business during the last Muslim holiday.

He said his friend introduced him to the business which he took up in order to “make up” and he used his friend’s car to convey the consignment of the weed during the first trip to Edo State.

Action to regret

Mr. Ibrahim, who claimed to have bought the 10 sacks of cannabis for N50, 000, also informed the police that he has somebody in Abuja who helps him to sell the weed.

“This is the biggest regret I ever have in life,” said Mr Ibrahim, who claimed to have worked for Mr Abubakar for three years. He also blamed his ordeal on those who sold the weed to him, alleging that they were the ones who leaked the information to the police.

Edo State Police Command spokesman, Peter Ogboi, advised those in authority to open their eyes and monitor the activities of their aides, pointing out that the suspect has taken the advantage of his work with the lawmaker to engage in drug dealing.

He said the case would be transferred to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and eventual prosecution.