By ENITAN ABEL JOHNGOLD ORHERUATA, mnipr
Men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Delta State Command, have uncovered a heavily fortified suspected drug-dealing hideout in Asaba, the Delta State capital, recovering various substances and other items allegedly connected to the operation.
The operation, which took place yesterday around Fallingwater Colehouse Yahweh Close, off Akara Junction along the 74 Junction–Asaba Specialist Hospital axis, was carried out by the Commandant’s Patrol Team following intelligence received by the command.
The discovery has raised fresh concerns over the activities of suspected drug dealers operating from concealed locations within residential areas of the city, particularly after security operatives reportedly found a network of underground tunnels leading from the suspected hideout to surrounding areas.
The NSCDC said the tunnels appeared to have been designed as escape routes, enabling occupants to disappear whenever security personnel approached the location.
According to the command, the structure was so fortified that its operatives required several days of surveillance and attempts before gaining access.
Speaking to journalists after the operation, the Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC Delta State Command, DSC Anthony Akachukwu, said the operation followed credible intelligence concerning suspected drug activities around the 74 Junction area, behind the Ibori Golf Course in Asaba.
“We got intel that there’s a drug hideout here around 74. That’s after the back of Ibori Golf Course here in Asaba. The intel led our men, the Commandant’s Patrol Team, to swing into action immediately,” Akachukwu said.
He explained that the security team spent approximately four days working to penetrate the facility, describing it as a highly fortified hideout.
According to him, after three unsuccessful attempts to gain entry, the operatives eventually accessed the structure from the top using a blowtorch.
What they encountered inside, he said, was more than an ordinary concealed building.
Akachukwu said the operatives discovered multiple layers of fortified iron doors as well as underground passages leading away from the location.
“This little place that you have seen captured is a very fortified hideout. It will surprise you that after making attempts for three days, they only got through today because they had to use blowtorch to access this little building from the top,” he said.
“After blowing through the top, we discovered other panels, layers of fortified iron doors and, getting into the drug hideout, we discovered that there are several tunnels which the criminals here used to escape most of the times when they are being checked or chased after.”
The underground tunnels raise kidnapping concerns. The discovery of the tunnels has also prompted the NSCDC to investigate whether the location may have been used for purposes beyond drug dealing.
According to Akachukwu, the passages were sufficiently large to accommodate several people and appeared to connect the hideout with different parts of the surrounding area.
He said the existence of the tunnels had allowed several suspects to escape during the operation.
“Today when the place was assessed, a lot of them were able to escape because of the underground tunnels that were available under the ground there,” he said.
The NSCDC spokesman said the size and configuration of the tunnels had raised suspicions that the location could also have been used as a kidnapping hideout.
However, he stressed that investigations were ongoing, meaning the suspected kidnapping connection had not yet been conclusively established.
The command also said the property consisted of or was surrounded by undeveloped and fenced plots, a situation which, according to investigators, could have made it easier for people using the hideout to move in and out without attracting attention.
During the operation, the security operatives recovered substances allegedly being sold at the location, along with materials believed to have been used in the distribution of the substances.
Among the items mentioned by the NSCDC were substances locally referred to as “Loud” and “Ice,” as well as PVC gum, with the command saying a significant quantity of the materials had been recovered.
Akachukwu, however, said some of the suspected operators managed to escape with part of the substances before the security team could completely secure the location.
The recovered materials are expected to form part of the evidence in the ongoing investigation.
The operation also resulted in the arrest of a man who allegedly arrived at the hideout to purchase drugs, apparently unaware that security operatives had taken control of the location.
According to the NSCDC spokesman, the man arrived during the operation and began negotiating with one of the operatives, whom he reportedly mistook for someone working at the drug outlet.
The suspect, identified as Yakubu, was subsequently arrested.
Akachukwu said investigations into the suspect and other persons connected with the operation were continuing.
“We intend to make more arrests and then at the end of the arrests necessary actions will be taken,” he said.
One of the more significant discoveries reportedly made during the operation was a notebook allegedly containing records of payments made by the operators to different security personnel.
According to the account of the operation, the notebook purportedly contained details indicating that suspected operators were making weekly payments to various security personnel or security teams.
The alleged payments, if established, could point to a wider protection network around the suspected criminal operation.
The NSCDC has not publicly identified the security personnel or agencies allegedly named in the notebook, and the authenticity and contents of the document will have to be established through investigation.
The development could potentially widen the scope of the investigation beyond the suspected drug operation itself.
A resident of the area, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, described the suspected drug operation as a long-running source of concern within the community.
The resident said he had lived in the area for more than six years and claimed that although he had only personally seen the suspected operators on one occasion, he regularly observed unusual movement around the location.
According to him, flashy cars, young men and women, including teenagers, were frequently seen entering the area at different hours of the day and night.
He alleged that customers did not always need to see the people supplying the substances.
Instead, he claimed, buyers could simply stretch their hands through an opening in the structure and receive the substances from inside.
The resident said the activity continued deep into the night, with vehicles allegedly parked along Fallingwater Colehouse Yahweh Close at unusual hours.
He claimed that people still arrived at the location around 3 a.m. to purchase substances.
The resident compared the level of patronage to the busy commercial atmosphere associated with Ogbeogonogo Market in Asaba, saying the location had effectively become a marketplace for illicit substances.
The resident appealed to the Delta State Government and relevant authorities to demolish the structure and seal or destroy the underground passages allegedly connecting the hideout to surrounding areas.
His concern, he said, was that simply arresting people at the location might not be sufficient if the physical infrastructure used to conceal the operation remained intact.
He also expressed concern that the concealed routes could continue to facilitate criminal activities and provide escape corridors for suspects.
The NSCDC said investigations were also underway to determine who owns or controls the property where the suspected operation was uncovered.
Akachukwu said the command had already obtained some information concerning the ownership but would not release details until the information had been properly verified.
“Investigations are ongoing to uncover the owner of the property. We already have information, but nothing will be made public until some ascertaining is done,” he said.
Following the operation, the NSCDC said the location would remain under security watch to prevent the suspected activities from resuming.
According to Akachukwu, operatives would remain in the area while further arrests and investigations were carried out.
“The scene of the crime will be under watch. Our men are still going to hang on here to ensure that it does not continue, at least until further arrests are made before any other investigation will be concluded for necessary court action,” he said.
The recovered materials are also expected to be transferred for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The operation has meanwhile drawn attention to the challenge faced by security agencies in tackling concealed criminal networks operating within populated areas.
Beyond the alleged drug trade, the discovery of fortified doors, underground tunnels and a suspected payment ledger has opened several investigative questions, including who financed the construction of the hideout, who controlled the property, how long the operation had been running, how the substances were supplied, and whether any other criminal activities were being conducted from the location.
For now, the NSCDC says investigations are continuing, with further arrests expected as operatives work to identify those who escaped through the underground routes and establish the full extent of the activities carried out at the location.
All allegations remain subject to investigation and, where applicable, proof before a court of law.