Ekiti NURTW chair, two others arrested in Ondo over alleged drug trafficking

By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure

Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Sunday disclosed that it has arrested the chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ijero Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Babatunde Babade for allegedly trafficking illicit drugs in Akure, Ondo state.

Babade, who was caught with 52.5 kg of skunk, however, arrested with two other persons Ilesanmi Shola, 35, and Babajide Johnson, 45.

It was gathered that Babade before his arrest by NDLEA had run into security agents who freed him after collecting two bags of skunk and N60, 000 from him.

Femi Babafemi, the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, while disclosing this in a statement made available to journalists in Akure, said the NURTW boss was conveying bags of the banned drug in his 1997 model blue Mazda car with registration number: Ekiti JER194 AE from Akure to Ekiti state.

“Babade, popularly called BB, was taken into custody along with others soon after his arrest at about 2pm on Sunday 18th July, 2021 for interrogation.

“In his statement, he admitted he owns the vehicle used for conveying the drug. He further stated that the car was earlier intercepted by some security agents who detained the two other suspects, his car and eight bags containing cannabis sativa while his brother who drove the vehicle fled.

“He however claimed that following his intervention, the security agents released the suspects and his car to him after taking two of the eight bags containing the drug and N60, 000) from him, before he later ran into NDLEA officers while on his way back to Ekiti,” the statement reads.