- By Demola Atobaba, Ado-Ekiti
In what looks like dramatic manner, the Commandant of Agro Marshals in Ekiti State, Hon. Olamide Oni who is a retired Commissioner of Police as part of the achievements so far recorded in the course of their operation in the State has paraded a suspected illicit drug dealer at its Headquarters in Ado-Ekiti, the State capital.
The Command in just few weeks of its operation while parading the suspect who was identified as Jimoh David, Oni told journalists that information got to his men attached to Omuo in Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State on May 20th, that some hoodlums had entered a bush at Eda – Ile in the same local government, and that they went there to know what’s going on.
“On getting there, the men were attacked by gunmen and they repelled the attack. Having repelled the attack, the hudlums fled into the bush along Isinbode–Ara–Ikole bush. On combing the bush, these exhibits were recovered. All of them are Indian hemp.
“In the bush, we saw a big plantation of indian hemp of about 20 hectares of land that have grown and on May 21st, I decided to visit the place to see things for myself, and during my visit, I came across the Kabiyesi of Eda Ile, Oba Benjamin Osho who said he was kidnapped along the place sometime in the past. Information equally has it that the same place was where the second in command of Amotekun Corps was murdered in the past”. Said the Commander.
Speaking further, Hon. Oni explained that the Kabiyesi of Eda Ile said he allocated that portion of land to somebody to farm who was later discovered to be the suspect, Mr. Jimoh David.
The suspect, Jimoh David who had earlier confessed to the commission of the offence and suggested bribing the Commander with N500,000.00 (Five hundred thousand naira) to bury the case as confessed by himself, later denied that his brothers who are now at large were the ones using the farmland without knowing that, that’s the purpose they wanted to use it for when he came to meet with the monarch who gave them the place for use.
The Agro Marshals Commander told journalists that Jimoh David also confessed in his statement that, that’s the job he’s doing in Ogbese, Ekiti State and that he vowed not to leave the business.
However, the Commander promised to get the plantation destroyed as soon as investigation is concluded on it, adding that the suspect will be handed over to the Police for further investigation and subsequent prosecution.
It was confirmed that suspected has been specialized in the production and sales of India hemp in the State o er the years.
According to Hon. Oni, the suspect has a cannabis plantation of over twenty hectares in Eda Ile, Local Government Area of the State. He noted that the suspect who was born and brought up in Ogbese in Ondo State has been in the business for decades as confirmed.
The suspect was alleged to have offered bribe to the Commander to buy his way out but met a strong resistance during his conversation with the Corps leader.
Jimoh who first denied the allegation later confessed to the commission of the crime that it’s true he is deeply involved alongside his brothers, but pleaded for forgiveness.
