The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has confirmed claims that it raided a Diplomatic Suite Hotel in the Asokoro area of Abuja.
The NDLEA Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Tuesday said the operation was executed in partnership with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Babafemi noted that their arrest was upon credible intelligence that some youths were planning to hold a hemp party at the hotel as well as the launch of a suspected new psychoactive drink.
The agency said, “The hotel was raided at about 8:18 pm on Wednesday 20th April while quantities of cannabis Sativa were recovered from the pockets and bags of those arrested at the hemp party”.
The NDLEA added that about 200 attendees including three young ladies who organised the hemp party were currently being profiled and interviewed while bottles of the new drink have been taken for lab analysis.
Earlier on Thursday, a tweep identified, @ezioimmanuel had claimed that operatives of the NDLEA invaded their party and arrested over 100 of them.
He said, “In the police station rn (right now). Was at a 4/20 party and they busted it. Asokoro Abuja. There’s hundreds of us in the police custody. Everyone’s still accounted for I think”.
Reacting further, the NDLEA said, “the audacious party no doubt is part of attempts by some elements to create a drug subculture in the Nigerian social space.”
But the statement noted that NDLEA will continue to work with other security agencies and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the abuse of illicit substances is not allowed to get entrenched in the country under any guise.
The 4/20 Party, (pronounced as Four-Twenty), refers to a cannabis-oriented event celebrated annually on April 20 in the United States.
