Chaos erupted at the Ekeki Police Division in Yenagoa on Thursday as a violent clash broke out between officers of the Nigeria Police and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
Reports revealed that men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency stormed the area to arrest a woman, suspected to be a drug dealer. Before proceeding with the arrest, the NDLEA was said to have visited the Ekeki Police Division to make an entry in the police records and to get them acquainted with the operation which they had come to carry out.
However, as the NDLEA operatives were carrying out their operation, they were reportedly confronted by officers from the Ekeki Police Division. This unexpected intervention led to a tense confrontation between the two groups, which resulted in the firing of live ammunition.
According to an eyewitness account, several shots were fired which caused tremendous panic among residents in the area.
“As I was at the Bayelsa Newspaper Corporation, I heard some shots, about six shots, and I decided to find out. As I got to the Ekeki Police Division, I saw a confrontation between the police and NDLEA operatives,” the eyewitness said.
Further reports revealed that two vehicles belonging to the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency were shot in the process by the police to prevent them from taking away the suspect.
The eyewitness alleged that the whole scenario seemed like the police were trying to provide cover for the woman to allow her to continue with the drug business in the area.
“The incident has made people suspect that the police are allegedly providing some kind of support for the woman to do drug business in the area,” he said.
The NDLEA spokesman, Mr Howells Oba, confirmed the incident saying, “Our men went for an operation behind the Ekeki Police Division. Our man made an entry at the police station.”
Concerning the shooting, Oba said, “They shot two of our vehicles and we are trying to see how we can take them out.” He further revealed that the agency would make a formal statement subsequently, as they were still trying to resolve the matter and restore peace and stability in the area.
As at the time of reporting, the police were yet to make any statement regarding the situation, however, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Musa Mohammed, when contacted, said he was rushing to the scene to ascertain what had transpired.
