Arrest of Cannabis Dealer Sparks Protest in Ondo

Hundreds of youths in Ayede Ogbese town in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State on Saturday took to the street to protest the arrest of one Adebo Ademola by the police.

The men of the state Police Command were said to have arrested Ademola  for allegedly dealing in drugs, particularly, cannabis, also known as Indian hemp, in the community.

According to an eyewitness, the youth protested the arrest of the suspect, saying that he does not deal in illicit drugs.

The protesters were said to have blocked all major roads in the town including the Akure-Owo-Abuja Expressway, thereby causing gridlock for several hours.

It took the intervention of the anti-riot policemen before the road could be cleared.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the police in the state, Mr. Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident and blamed the protesters, whom he said acted in error.

He explained that the state Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Hilda Harrison, ordered the arrest of Ademola.

According to him, the suspect is “a notorious thug in the town who also specialises in selling Indian hemp.”

The police spokesperson maintained that the suspect was caught with various incriminating objects when the policemen searched his house, adding that there was no justification for the residents of the town to resist policemen from carrying out their lawful duty.

He specifically noted that the suspect and one other person arrested were caught with substances suspected to be Indian hemp.

“What the people of Ayede Ogbese did was not a protest but an illegal show of ignorance. They were protesting that the police arrested one of their kinsmen. This is a display of ignorance,” Joseph stated.

PUNCH