The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has confirmed that its operatives repelled rain of bullets from armed hoodlums in Edo state.

The NDLEA in a statement signed by spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on Thursday said the hoodlums blocked all roads in Opuje community, Owan West local government area of Edo state.

Babafemi said they did this to prevent the anti-narcotic operatives from accessing the forest warehouses where tons of processed psychoactive substances have been stored for distribution across different states in Nigeria ahead of the coming Christmas and New Year celebrations.

He added that this is coming barely eleven months after armed youths recruited by drug barons ambushed NDLEA officers who stormed the community to destroy massive warehouses and tents storing over 317,417 kilograms (317.4 metric tons) of cannabis sativa on Wednesday, 18th January, 2023.

At least, four suspects namely Omoruan Theophilus, 37; Aigberuan Jacob, 42; Ekeinde Anthony Zaza, 53, and Naomi Patience Ohiewere, 42, were arrested in connection with the drugs back then.

The Opuje community is notorious for cannabis cultivation, where the cartels invest huge resources, cutting down economic trees of the forest reserves and cultivating cannabis on a large scale, running into hundreds of hectares.

After harvest, they build warehouses inside the forest reserves and employ the services of armed youths to protect the warehouses 24/7.

“Following credible intelligence that the drug cartels had again stocked their warehouses in the forest to start distribution of the psychoactive substance to various parts of the country ahead of the yuletide season, teams of NDLEA officers were mobilized to enter the Edo forests and block the distribution of the illicit drug by destroying their warehouses,” Babafemi said.

“Some of the warehouses containing about 6,000kgs of cannabis were first taken down in Ujiogba forest in Esan West LGA last weekend.

“The NDLEA teams however came under gunfire attack in the early hours of Monday, 4th December when they approached the Opuje forest after the armed hoodlums had blocked all access roads in the community.

“The NDLEA operatives were able to exit the area after over two hours of gun fight with the armed hoodlums.”

Unfortunately, three of the officers were injured in the attack with one of them shot in the head while some of the vehicles used for the operation were riddled with bullets.

The affected officers were rushed to the hospital for treatment while the critically injured one had a major surgery on Wednesday, 6th December to remove the bullets in his brain.