The Senate, yesterday, set up an ad hoc committee to investigate alleged corrupt practices in the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as raised by Senator Oyelola Ashiru (APC, Kwara).

The committee is also to probe the allegations of drug peddling against the lawmaker, and ensure that the anti-narcotics agency provides ‘sufficient proof’, failure of which would attract “drastic action from the Senate.”

The resolution came barely 24 hours after the NDLEA alleged that Ashiru’s house was used to warehouse illicit drugs.

The agency also claimed that the legislator’s recent attack against it was borne out of vendetta rather than national interest, and that that some of his aides were arrested in the raid on his residence, and are currently being prosecuted, with one of them already sentenced to jail.

Adopting a motion raised by Ashiru in the hallowed chamber, the upper legislative chamber raised a six-member committee, led by Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South), and charged the NDLEA leadership to urgently appear it to explain the allegations.

However, ahead of the investigation, the Senate condemned the NDLEA for allegedly breaching Ashiru’s rights and privileges.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said: “I believe the NDLEA’s actions are in response to his comments during the debate on the rehabilitation centre for drug users. If the NDLEA truly thought he was a drug baron, they should have acted long ago, not now, after his Senate contributions.”

On the alleged breach of Ashiru’s privileges, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State stated: “Nigerians may not be aware, but everything said in the Senate is privileged and immune from external debate, whether on radio or TV.”

He claimed that “Senator Ashiru has never been charged or invited by the NDLEA. We see him as a gentleman who does not consume alcohol, let alone drugs.”