Officials of the Ondo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have vowed not to be discouraged from performing their duties by the gruesome killing of four of their colleagues by gunmen in Ifon area of the state. The NDLEA Commander in Onod State, Haruna Gagara, declared that the killing will not deter the Command from tackling rising cases of Indian hemp cultivation and trafficking in the State.
Meanwhile, Ondo State Command is still mourning the death of the four officers, the Agency flag is now flying at half mast, a sign that the Command is bereaved.
It was gathered that the Command recorded many successes in its fight against Indian hemp cultivation in the State in the past few weeks.
In January this year, 12 suspected Indian hemp cultivators were arrested in an operation at Ipele, Owo Local Government Area of the State; 55 bags of cannabis sativa were seized in the forest during the operation, while a total of 300 kilogrammes of the substance were burnt in the forest.
Also in January, the agency discovered seeds of cannabis stored in sacks and containers, weighing 390 kilogrammes.
On February 15th, the Agency seized a total of 260 bags of indian hemp, with an estimated value of N9.1m at Oke -Aro area of Akure.
The State Commander of the NDLEA, Haruna Gagara, attributed the recent attack to the successes recorded by the Agency.
This, he said, will not deter the command from working assiduously to rid the state of Indian hemp cultivators.
The four officers were killed on Sunday, at a checkpoint in Ifon area of the State.