Men of the Special Intelligence Squad of the Controller General of Prisons, Ogun State Command, on Monday arrested a drug peddler while attempting to smuggle weed suspected to be Indian hemp into Old Abeokuta Prison, Ibara, Ogun State.

“Following a tip-off, a male suspect, Matthew Olusi, was nabbed at the gate lodge with the substance concealed in his cloth and pant. He has been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for further investigation and subsequent prosecution,” Ogun CPRO, DSP Victor Oyeleke, said Tuesday in a statement.

He recalled that on October 25 this year a female suspect, Fatima Balogun, was arrested with a mobile phone by the same Intelligence Squad in her attempt to smuggle the gadget into the prison.

Continuing, Oyeleke said: “Prohibited articles constitute danger to staff members and prisoners alike even as they remain inimical to discipline, reformation and rehabilitation strategy of the NPS.

“The CP Ogun State Command, Abolade Benson, appeals to the general public to identify with the commitment of the NPS in eradicating drug abuse and other vices in and around prison formations in the state.

“Friends and visitors to prison facilities where prisoners are kept should therefore desist from smuggling prohibited items capable of compromising security into the prison yard as the authority will not hesitate to take decisive action against violators.”