100 yaba ‘traders’ but not Badi surrender

More than 100 traffickers of illegal narcotic substance called yaba, have surrendered to the law enforcement in Cox’s Bazar under a government-sponsored rehabilitation process.

The listed yaba traders, who were taken to the surrender ceremony venue on Saturday morning, include four brothers and 12 relatives of former Awami League member of parliament (MP) Abdur Rahman Badi, the number one person in the list prepared by the home ministry.

However, Abdur Rahman Badi himself refrained from surrendering. Saiful Karim, the second man in the list, is reportedly staying abroad. Badi’s wife Shahin Akhter is now an MP of the ruling party.

The yaba traders were seen handing over yaba pills and guns to home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at the gathering at Teknaf Pilot High School. Inspector general of police Javed Patwary was present.

Only 24 out of 73 listed top yaba traders in the tourist district that has border with Myanmar surrendered, according to the police.

Of the rest (49), six have already been killed since a drive that began May last year. Others numbering 43 traders are yet to surrender.

“Those who have not surrendered have to face a dire consequence,” the home minister told the programme organised by the law enforcement, after months of discussion about the surrender.

He mentioned that the surrender of yaba traders is a process as part of the drive against illegal arms and drugs.

According to officials, names of 26 traders including Badi as the key patron, his five brothers and one sister were listed both by the home ministry and the Narcotics Control Department.

Asaduzzaman warned that a stern action would be taken if anyone of the local administration is found involved in illegal drug trafficking.

The home minister asked the members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to gear up surveillance along the border with Myanmar to stop entry of yaba.

Those who surrendered include Badi’s brothers Abdul Shukkur, Abdul Amin, Mohammad Shafiq and Mohammad Foysal, Badi’s cousin Kamrul Islam Rasel and nephew Shahedur Rahman Nipun.

Teknaf upazila parishad’s chairman Zafar Ahmed’s son Didar Mia, Hilar union parishad members Nurul Huda and Zamal Hossain, Teknaf municipality councilor Nurul Bashar Nurshad, woman councilor Kohinur Begum’s husband Shah Alam, Teknaf sadar UP member Enamul Haque and upazila BNP general secretary’s two brothers Ziaur Rahman and Abdur Rahman, among others, surrendered.

Each of them was implicated in lawsuits up to 16.

Around 300 people were killed in what the law enforcement called ‘crossfire’or ‘gunfights’ across the country since the crackdown against drugs began on 4 May last year.

Among them, 44 were killed in Cox’s Bazar alone.

Officials said yaba traders have been brought in for surrender at police lines in Cox’s Bazar since mid-January as part of the ‘initiative to bring yaba traders to normal life’.

Cox’s Bazar superintendent of police ABM Masud Hossain, however, said two separate lawsuits in connection with drug and arms will be filed with Teknaf model police station.

There is no scope of general amnesty for them, the police official said, the law will take its own course.