ALERT: Possible Epidemic Outbreak in Enugu
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By
Timi Oni
-
The National Drug Law Enforcement
Agency, NDLEA, has warned over possible outbreak of epidemic in Enugu
metropolis, following the contamination of major sources of domestic water by
an illegal narcotics manufacturer in town.
The drug factory The NDLEA gave the name of the alleged
South Africa- based illegal drug manufacturer as Christian Chibuzor. It said
that the drug firm hidden in the residential area at Phase 6, Trans-Ekulu
produced methamphetamine, an illicit hard drug, adding that the waste products
from the factory had contaminated wells from where the residents of Trans-
Ekulu sourced water for domestic use.
State NDLEA Commander, Adeyemi Adeofe, spoke on the
contamination of the wells at Enugu, while parading three suspected illicit
drug manufacturers arrested from the illegal laboratory, adding that their
arrest was based on credible information from two earlier suspects arrested
with 100 kilogrammes of ephedrine.
Adeofe further said that due to the hazardous nature of the
chemicals which had seeped into the wells and the underground water within the
environment, the agency immediately dismantled the laboratory, “while the
precursor materials and other dangerous chemicals used for production in the
laboratory were seized,” to reduce the danger it posed to the society.
According to him, there was “urgent need for decontamination
of the whole area as dangerous waste products from the illegal drug laboratory
had seeped into wells of neighbouring compounds and poisoned their sources of
water supply. “This has a very serious implication because time will come when
the effects of these chemicals will cause deadly health challenges like cancer,
birth deformity and kidney problems among others.
Recovered items from the factory. “We call on the government
to come to the rescue of residents of the area and to also appeal to the
general public to come up with useful information whenever they notice or
perceive strange activities or unusual odour within their environment.” Those
paraded gave their names as Christopher Eze, Ikechukwu Umahi and Paul Eze, even
as the principal suspect, Christian Chibuzor, said to be residing in South
Africa was yet to be apprehended.
Also, narrating his experience, a neighbour in the Phase 6
area of Trans- Ekulu,, Mazi Ogunedo Emeruole said: “We started noticing changes
in our well for over three weeks but before then, we did perceive strong smell
from our neighbour’s compound. “We were thinking then that the old tenant
packed away and the new tenant fumigated the compound. It got to a point that
we became worried because we began to perceive very strong smell every night
and it wasn’t abetting. “It got to a point when we noticed the presence of oily
substances percolating on the water we fetch from our wells… They come with
very strong smell.
So I called these mallams that used to excavate wells. The
first person we called could not dig more than two feet; before coming out
almost lifeless, so to speak. We had to pour water on him to revive him. We
asked him to come back the next time but he refused saying that the plumber
could have poured some chemicals into the well; but we have never called any
plumber here since 2008. •Mr Emeruole explaining the contamination of his well
by the factory “Another set of mallams came later and one of the guys dug one
foot and said he could not continue because the smell of the chemical inside
the well was powerful. We now observed that the surroundings of the well had
turned to black and anytime we fetched water, it was smelling and the odour
made us to sneeze continously. It was then that I gave instruction to my family
not to use the water again except for flushing of toilets. “So we were
surprised when the officials of NDLEA came around to inform us that our
neigbour here is producing a very dangerous chemical. They mentioned the name,
Meth, and I know I had read about meth in the social media, a very powerful
hard drug. We were all shocked; we never knew that a neighbour that just moved
in three months back was producing such materisls within our environment.”
Emeruole further said that the suspected drug dealer was not the owner of the
property but rented it and was not known by neighbours. “We don’t know him, the
only thing is that we used to see an expensive Range Rover Sport vehicle that
parks outside whenever he comes around. We used to say that we have a very rich
neighbour within our vicinity. For the two times I saw the vehicle park at the
gate, he never came out. The engine continued running and he would be inside
the vehicle, he never came out. We were told he lived overseas. South-East
Voice noticed that some of the trees in the compound had already died while
others had withered, even as the drug was said to be more costly than cocaine
and the Africa production is rated highly in the international drug market.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has warned over possible outbreak of epidemic in Enugu metropolis, following the contamination of major sources of domestic water by an illegal narcotics manufacturer in town.
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