By Anamati Inyang, November 19, 2025
The House of Representatives has announced plans to investigate the conduct of officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA in Okpuje Ilueha, Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, following the killing of 16 year old Emmanuel Monday George.
The resolution was adopted after a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by the Majority Leader, Hon Julius Ihonvbere, who condemned the death of the young school leaver, reportedly shot inside his family’s sitting room.
Leading the debate, Hon Ihonvbere expressed outrage over the actions of NDLEA officers during a recent operation in the agrarian community while attempting to arrest a resident identified as Abiodun Omage.
He said the events of Monday, 27 October 2025, left residents of Okeigho in Okpuje and neighbouring communities in shock, as they recounted incidents of harassment, intimidation, property destruction, and sporadic shootings that claimed the life of young Emmanuel.
“The House further notes that other community members suffered varying degrees of bullet wounds, some in the leg and others with bullets lodged in their stomachs, and are currently on the danger list at Irrua Specialist Hospital,” he said.
According to him, the masked NDLEA officers, who arrived at dawn in two Army gun trucks and a saloon car, left behind tears, fear, and devastation that the community is still grappling with.
Ihonvbere reminded the House that the NDLEA’s constitutional mandate is to combat drug trafficking and abuse within the limits of the law, not to terrorise peaceful communities.
He warned that such violent conduct erodes public trust in law enforcement, violates citizens’ rights, and risks heightening tensions between the agency and affected communities.
He added that failure to investigate the allegations could damage Nigeria’s international reputation in drug enforcement and human rights protection.
Presiding over the plenary, Deputy Speaker Hon Benjamin Kalu directed the Joint Committees on Narcotics, Human Rights, and Public Safety to launch an immediate investigation into the alleged misconduct of the NDLEA officers.
The House also called on the Federal Government and NDLEA leadership to suspend implicated officers pending the outcome of the probe.
The Joint Committees were further mandated to submit their findings to the House within a specified timeframe for additional legislative action.
