April 21, 2022

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have raided and sealed Diplomatic Suite Hotel, Asokoro, Abuja in a joint operation with men of the Department of State Services, DSS to stop a cannabis party and the launch of a suspected new psychoactive drink.

About 200 attendees including three young ladies who organised the hemp party are currently being profiled and interviewed while bottles of the new drink have been taken for lab analysis.

In a statement by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy of the NDLEA, the hotel was raided at about 8:18pm on Wednesday 20th April following actionable intelligence that some youths were planning to hold a hemp party at the hotel. Quantities of cannabis sativa were recovered from the pockets and bags of those arrested at the hemp party.

The audacious party no doubt is part of attempts by some elements to create a drug subculture in the Nigerian social space. The NDLEA will however continue to work with other security agencies and relevant stakeholders to ensure abuse of illicit substances is not allowed to get entrenched in the country under any guise.