NDLEA arrests undergraduate engaged in sale of drugged cookies to schoolchildren in Abuja

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the arrest of a 300-level university student, Rhoda Agboje, and her boyfriend, Ifeanyi Nwankwo.

The suspects are being held over the crime of producing and selling drug cookies to school children and other unsuspecting members of the public in Abuja.

This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday, April 20, by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in Abuja.

Babafemi also confirmed that narcotics agents with the FCT Command of the NDLEA have also launched a manhunt for another member of the syndicate involved in producing the cookies with ‘Arizona’, a highly psychoactive variant of cannabis; alcohol and Rohypnol among other ingredients.

According to him, their lid was blown following the arrest of Rhoda Agboje with four pieces of the drug cookies on Sunday, 18 April 2021.

“She was arrested at the NNPC Cooperative estate, opposite Gaduwa estate in Abuja based on a complaint that she gave an unsuspecting young girl the cookies to eat. After eating the drug cookies, the girl lost her mind and could not sleep, making incoherent utterances due to the effects of the cookies.

“Under interrogation, the prime suspect, Rhoda confessed she prepares the cookies with a friend and sells each pack of three pieces at N1,500. A follow-up operation in her boyfriend’s house led to the recovery of over 200 pieces of the drug cookies,” Babafemi said.

Read also: NDLEA confiscates illicit substances in Edo, FCT, nabs drug dealer in Nasarawa

Malami Sokoto, the NDLEA FCT Commander, said, “The boyfriend, Ifeanyi Nwankwo and all the equipment used for the production of the cookies were brought to the office for further investigation.

“The suspect confirmed that she sells at parties and to unsuspecting members of the public, including school children that are the most vulnerable. The suspect also supplies some supermarkets and clubs in the FCT.”

While commending officers and men of the FCT Command for unraveling the syndicate, Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), said what the syndicate was doing is not only criminal but equally unconscionable by deliberately luring schoolchildren into drug under the cover of selling to them biscuits or cookies.

“I wish to draw the attention of parents to this new devious strategy to get children addicted to drug cookies and to urge them to remain vigilant while monitoring what their wards bring home from school or consume as snacks,” Marwa said.

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