The Delta State Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Commandant said the facility had three iron-reinforced entrances and several underground tunnels allegedly designed to help occupants escape security operatives.
Officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) reportedly spent three days trying to gain access to a suspected drug hideout in Asaba, Delta State, before discovering several underground tunnels believed to have been designed as escape routes.
The Delta State NSCDC Commandant, Chinedu Igbo, disclosed this in a video shared by Channels Television, explaining how intelligence about alleged illegal drug sales at an uncompleted building led to the security operation.
According to Igbo, the building was heavily fortified, with three entrances reinforced with iron, making it difficult for the officers to gain entry.
He said the operatives eventually deployed a blowtorch to cut through the upper section of the building and gain access to the premises.
The commandant expressed surprise at what the officers discovered inside, particularly the numerous outlets and underground tunnels that he said could serve as escape routes whenever security operatives approached the facility.
Igbo explained that the layout appeared to have been designed to enable occupants to flee through different underground passages if they received information about an impending security raid.
Describing the operation, he said: “That took us about three days trying to gain access into that place. So it took the ingenuity of these my men to use a blowtorch on top of the building to gain access into the house.
“And then, to our greatest surprise, when you gain access into the house, you begin to see a lot of outlets. That means when they got hints that security men were around, those outlets are for their escape, different underground tunnels for escape.”
Beyond the suspected drug-related activities that prompted the operation, Igbo said he believed the structure might have been used for other serious criminal activities, including holding kidnapped victims and organ harvesting.
However, the commandant’s claims about possible kidnapping and organ harvesting activities have not been independently established in the information available. Further investigation would be required to determine the actual purpose of the tunnels and whether the premises were connected to those crimes.
The discovery has raised questions about the possible use of fortified buildings and underground passageways by criminal networks to evade law enforcement agencies.
The circumstances surrounding the construction of the tunnels, the identities of those behind the facility and whether any suspects or victims were found during the operation were not detailed in the account provided.
Authorities would need to establish the nature and extent of the alleged criminal activities through further investigations and any available forensic evidence.
The incident underscores the importance of intelligence gathering, coordinated security operations and thorough investigations into properties suspected of being used for illegal activities.
Source: Channels Television video featuring Delta State NSCDC Commandant Chinedu Igbo.