Enugu — Leadership of the Enugu State House of Assembly, rose in defence of the Assembly members yesterday, denying the alleged involvement of its members in the reported interception of a container load of substance suspected to be cocaine worth N4 billion by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) in Lagos.

It was reported in some national dailies yesterday that six members of the Assembly were part of the drug racket, a development that reportedly jolted the Assembly leadership.

But the Assembly told newsmen that none of its members had either been arrested or contacted by the anti-narcotic agency since the report was made public, pledging however that it would not shield any of its member found to be involved in such a heinous crime.

Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Information and Media, Mr. Marcel Njeze, who said the report was intended to cast aspersions on members of the Assembly, noted that they were still in shock over the report, while urging the media to endeavour to verify their reports before going to the press.

According to him, following the media report on the illicit drug deal, the lawmakers at their sitting yesterday deliberated extensively to ascertain if any member was actually involved but no member was found culpable.

"Fortunately for us, at our sitting today (yesterday) all the 24 members of the Assembly were present and we decided to inquire from the members if in anyway they were involved in this matter and the answer we got is that no member of the Assembly has any hand in the illicit importation of cocaine or contraband into this country, " he said.

Njeze, while describing the report as baseless, mischievous and the handiwork of anti-democrats, stated that the Assembly had resolved to prevail on both the NDLEA and the Police to reveal the identities of the people reportedly fingered in the drug racketeering with a view to ascertaining the authenticity or otherwise of the said report.