CALABAR, NIGERIA — An innocent teenage boy is fighting for his life in a hospital after being struck in the stomach by an NDLEA bullet during a chaotic raid by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the Ikang community of Bakassi Local Government Area, Cross River State.
The incident, which occurred on Wednesday afternoon, has triggered widespread public outrage and demands for immediate administrative accountability from the anti-narcotics agency.
The Raid and the Escape Fire
According to eyewitness reports, the anti-drug operatives stormed Ikang to arrest targeted drug dealers. The operation quickly turned violent when a hostile crowd of locals allegedly surrounded the NDLEA team to prevent the suspects from being taken away.
To force their way through the aggressive mob and secure their perimeter, the operatives opened fire into the air. Amid the sporadic gunshots and the ensuing stampede, a stray bullet fired by the NDLEA struck a teenage boy who was merely standing nearby watching the events unfold. Witnesses recounted that the NDLEA team immediately drove off with the arrested suspects, leaving the heavily bleeding victim on the ground before sympathetic bystanders rushed him to a nearby medical facility.
NDLEA Confirms Shooting Incident
Responding to the building public outcry, the Cross River State Command of the NDLEA, through its Public Relations Officer, Sebastian Lebo, confirmed the operation and the subsequent shooting incident.
The agency defended its operatives, stating that the team came under a severe, unprovoked mob attack while executing their statutory duties.
“It is true that our officers were at Bakassi for an operation,” Lebo said in an official statement. “The two dealers that were targets were arrested with good quality exhibits and are now in custody. Our officers came under mob attack and unfortunately, there was an injury.”
Demands for Professional Accountability
The incident has reignited a fierce debate across Cross River State regarding the operational safety guidelines and tactical professionalism of the NDLEA in highly populated civilian environments.
Civil rights advocates and local community groups have strongly condemned the agency’s handling of the crowd control situation, pointing out that leaving a wounded child behind without rendering emergency first aid is a severe violation of standard law enforcement codes. Coordinated calls have been forwarded to the national leadership of the NDLEA to launch an immediate internal probe, identify the specific officer who discharged the weapon, and provide full financial coverage for the victim’s emergency surgeries.
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