The family had alleged that the anti-narcotics agency demanded N300,000 to release Abass after they found out that he committed no offence.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has released 18-year-old Daniel Abass, who was arrested in her mother’s shop in Akure, Ondo State, and detained since October 10 for no concrete offence after SaharaReporters’ story.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Abass’ family decried the arrest and detention of their son, Daniel, by the NDLEA.
Lamenting the incarceration of Abass, the family had alleged that the anti-narcotics agency demanded N300,000 to release Abass after they found out that he committed no offence.
However, hours after SaharaReporters reported the story, the family of Abass called to thank the management of the organisation, noting that their son had been released.
Abass's father, Daniel Morris, said in a text message "Thank you sir, thank you SaharaReporters' management; my son has been released after your report. Thank you very much and continue to defend poor Nigerians who are being exploited daily by people who supposed to protect them."
Morris had while narrating to SaharaReporters how his was arrested and detained, said, "My son was at his mother's shop on Monday, October 10, 2022, when NDLEA officers loaded in five trucks, stormed the shop. My wife was not around as she went to the market to buy foodstuffs. The officers raided the shop and its surroundings and recovered a bag of weed otherwise known as marijuana which someone dropped near the shop without our knowledge.
"The officers arrested my son as a suspect despite pleading his innocence, but it is totally understandable because he's the suspect. I was notified that day the arrest happened but I couldn't take any step because the raid happened in the night."
According to him, his elder son went to their mother's shop the following morning to know what exactly happened. "He eventually found the owner of the weed, who dropped the weed in the shop.
"Upon meeting him, he told my son not to worry that he knew the NDLEA officers that came for raid, and that he would get him out. When we got to the NDLEA office, we saw the man with officers at their office."
He stated further that "when I visited my wife's shop in the night, I saw an NDLEA officer in the neighbourhood discussing with the owner of the weed. I approached him and told the guy (NDLEA official) who came to meet you today told you that the bag of weed belongs to him, why haven't you arrested him? That NDLEA officer then called the man and arrested him. Upon interrogation, he agreed and wrote even in his statement that the bag of weed belongs to him.
"After three days, I told the NDLEA officers that they have found the owner of the weed and he had been arrested, why are they still detaining my son, that he should be released since he is innocent? I was told to calm down, and after three days in custody, they called me that the NDLEA Commander was requesting to be paid N300,000 before they could release him. Then I asked the officer if he can pay such an amount for what he never partook in and benefitted anything from, but he said no.
"I know that after detaining my son for six days they are using it as a ploy to extort money from my family because if they are actually after the criminals, they would have released him immediately after confirming he knows nothing about it."
The spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, had while speaking with SaharaReporters after he was informed about the incident, promised to investigate the incident.