Troops of the 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), in a joint operation with operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have arrested two fake police officers in Taraba State and seized two Toyota Hilux vehicles loaded with cannabis.
According to a statement released by Lieutenant Umar Muhammad, Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for 6 Brigade, the operation, codenamed Operation Lafiya Nakowa, continues to intensify efforts to rid the state of bandits, drug traffickers, and other criminal elements.
Acting on credible intelligence, the troops and NDLEA personnel intercepted the suspects at Takum Junction in Wukari Local Government Area. The suspects, dressed in mobile police uniforms, were found transporting the illicit substances.
Preliminary investigations confirmed that none of the suspects are serving police officers. The vehicles, reportedly loaded with the drugs in Akure, Ondo State, were en route to Adamawa State when intercepted.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Monday George, a 71-year-old dismissed Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), and Ezeugo Destiny Uche, 41. Occupants of the second Hilux abandoned their vehicle and fled on sighting the troops.
Security forces recovered a total of 1,134 blocks of cannabis from the two vehicles. Both the suspects and the exhibits have been handed over to the NDLEA office in Wukari for further investigation and prosecution.
Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, Commander of the 6 Brigade Nigerian Army, commended the troops and NDLEA operatives for their synergy and resilience. He reaffirmed the Brigade’s commitment to making Taraba State unsafe for criminals and drug traffickers.
He also called on the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to further enhance the success of ongoing operations across the state.
