Men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and police operatives attached to the Ekeki Division in Bayelsa State clashed over attempts to arrest a suspected drug dealer on Thursday.
A resident of the area told journalists that some NDLEA officers stormed the area to arrest a woman suspected to be a drug peddler and had even made entry in the police records before carrying out their assignment but were accosted by the policemen.
“The NDLEA operatives were carrying out the operation when the policemen from the Ekeki Police Division obstructed them and this led to an altercation.
“In the resulting confrontation, several gunshots were fired by both parties,” he stated.
Tyres of the NDLEA operating vehicles were deflated by gunshots fired by the policemen who tried to stop the anti-narcotic agents from taking the suspect away.
The NDLEA spokesman in the state, Mr. Howells Obah, confirmed the incident.
He said the agency operatives complied with standard operational procedure in carrying out the raid on the suspected drug dealer.
