*As agency suspends team leader, commences investigation

Few months after a senior officer of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), operative, Mr. Kingsley Chiwetalu was stabbed to death while on official assignment by some soldiers in Nigeria state, another tragedy have befallen the agency, when some orate mobs descended on another of its operatives, setting him ablaze while also on official assignment.

This time, a newly married officer of the agency, Aliyu Imran, was tragically killed by a mob in Kaduna State’s Igabi Local Government Area.

Reports showed that Imran, who held the position of Assistant Superintendent of Narcotic 1, was burnt alive by an angry crowd at the Gadan-Gayan area. 

The tragic event unfolded after a vehicle that Imran and his colleagues were chasing, suspected to be conveying narcotic and psychotic substances, rammed to an accident, leading to several deaths.

Yhe NDLEA officers were, according to eyewitnesses, pursuing a suspected drug dealer when the suspect, in an attempt to escape, reversed his car. 

This action of the suspect led to a collision that reportedly killed at least three persons on the spot.

In an effort to control the escalating situation, Imran stepped out of his vehicle, but the mob unfortunately turned on him. 

He was stabbed multiple times while the Officer in-Charge (OC) of his team tried calling for reinforcement to advert greater calamity on their side to no avail, a situation similar to what happened when Mr. Chinewtalu was killed.

A brave police officer, it was gathered  reportedly carried him to a nearby hospital for treatment.

 However, the mob stormed the hospital, dragged the NDLEA operative out from the sick bed, and set him on fire.

According to source, “It happened on Friday, some NDLEA officers went for an operation at Gadan-Gayan. They are covering it up. 

“This is our agency. Do you know what they normally do? If accidents like this happen and an officer is involved or an officer loses his life, instead of them compensating the family, the NDLEA will try to cover it up so that they will not give the deceased family the compensation. This has been the case, including the case of Mr. Chinewtalu, from this same state command, who was killed by Soldiers few months ago. 

“We only heard the soldiers that killed Chinewtalu were arraigned in court, but that was the end of the story, nothing more.

“In this case, some officers were on patrol, and the suspect reversed and started driving away from the officers on patrol. 

“So the officers took their own car and followed the car that was trying to get away from them. In that process, the car they were chasing had an accident, and four people died.

“Do you know what’s heartbreaking? He just got married last December. His wife fainted as they were burying him on Saturday.

“Aliyu had stepped out of the vehicle to calm the situation, but the crowd turned hostile. 

“I understand how these things escalate—I’ve been in similar mob situations during operations. Once tensions rise, the best thing to do is leave immediately.

“In the chaos, they left Aliyu Imran behind. The mob attacked him, stabbing him repeatedly.

“A police officer tried to save him by taking him to a nearby hospital on his bike. But the same mob stormed the hospital, dragged Aliyu out, and burned him alive while he was still clinging to life”.

In response, the NDLEA spokesperson, Mr.  Femi Babafemi, dismissed claims that the agency neglects its fallen officers. 

He stated that even in the recent case the agency’s chairman, Maj-Gen. Bubba Marwa, is in direct contact with the deceased officer’s family.

“As I speak, a delegation from the headquarters—led by the agency’s director of operations and general investigations—is already in Kaduna to meet with the family. 

“Additionally, another commander had earlier been dispatched by the chairman. So, there’s no truth to the claim that the family has been abandoned.

“To further demonstrate how seriously the agency is taking this matter, the management has suspended the commander involved. Do you understand?

“This is an on-going investigation. The matter is being thoroughly looked into, and the agency remains in close contact with the family. 

“We are working diligently to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident,” he added.