There’s an ongoing imbroglio between residents of the Gbagada Phase 11 Resident’s Association and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over accusations of brutality and incessant harassment.

Consequently, the residents have petitioned the Chairman, NDLEA, Buba Marwa, alleging that officials of the agency were riding on the location of their office within the estate to indulge in unruly behavior and brutalise them.

President and Vice President of the Association, Manso Odusanya, and Adebiyi Mabadeje, in a petition to Marwa, dated May 6, 2024, alleged that the NDLEA officials had been in the habit of harassing young ladies and causing trouble at the estate’s gates.

In the petition, they chronicled their relationship with the NDLEA, including how they objected to the siting the Lagos State Command of the agency within the estate, and how it was resolved with assurances from the then Chairman that stay would be temporary and conduct professional.

The petition read in part, “About two years ago, we noticed some unusual movements and developments going on in a property within the estate. The developer was invited for discussion and we came to understand that the NDLEA is the project owner and they were moving their state command to the estate.

“The association protested immediately and wrote protest letters to the government agency in charge of physical planning, which came into the estate to stop the construction of the cell, this area being strictly residential.

“The press came into the estate to investigate this and their findings were publicised. This resulted in a series of meetings between the association and the officials of the agency, including a meeting with the agency’s chairman in their office within the estate.

“The chairman promised that our objection was noted and that their stay would be temporary while they would do all within themselves to ensure their staff and operatives respect the rules of the estate and avoid frictions that may cause embarrassment.”

They residents are now lamenting that in spite of the assurances, the estate had been distressed by security breaches with attendant bodily harm to members of the community and its security staff.

“The estate invested in its private security team that is responsible for maintaining security and order. On many occasions, the NDLEA operatives have brutalised our team members just because they insist they must stay within the rules.

“In one instance, one of our security operatives was brutalised and on another occasion, our security gate was broken by the NDLEA operatives just because they wanted to force themselves in at odd hours. It is significant to note that in all instances, the officers involved were drunk, therefore acting under the influence of alcohol.

“We received complaints from our members of instances where their staff or even members of their families were harassed or approached by the NDLEA officials while walking around the estate. Many of our streets now witness indiscriminate parking resulting from activities of the NDLEA officials and their visitors who troop into the estate, at times in search of their detained relatives.”

The association also complained about the NDLEA official’s attitude to waste management, and expressed worry that it might endanger the health of residents in the estate.

It decried the unprofessional conduct of officials of the agency, including drunkenness and flagrant abuse of laid down security procedures in the estate.

“The presence of the NDLEA in an estate like ours, which is supposed to be residential, has compromised the security of our estate in many ways and made it more challenging for us to screen visitors coming into our estate, particularly at odd hours.

“We have regularly received complaints from those residing around the NDLEA office about the traumatising effects of the sound emanating from the NDLEA office when they are carrying out their usual military exercise and at times guns were shot as part of the exercise.

“In view of the above-stated facts, we are using this medium to request that the NDLEA office be relocated out of our estate so that the peace normally associated with our estate can be restored,” it stated.

On his part, the NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, affirmed that the issues raised were being jointly looked into to address them.

He added, “Indeed, a meeting was held just earlier today between a delegation from the estate and our team, meaning we’re responsive. Our presence in the community has largely enhanced the security of the neighbourhood, as was obvious during instances when there had been attempts to breach the security of the estate, especially during the last general elections.

“So, if there are areas of concern, we’re working with those concerned to address them and I can assure them that concrete actions are being taken as already directed by the leadership of the agency from Abuja.”