University of Northampton students voice concerns with county lines drug dealing at notorious campus

University of Northampton (UoN) students have raised concerns about county lines drug dealing at a notorious campus in the town.

Labour councillor Danielle Stone recently visited the university’s Waterside Campus as part of her election campaign to become the county’s new police, fire and crime commissioner.

Councillor Stone said: “What the students told me was, there are six police officers on campus and it doesn’t make any difference. That people are openly selling drugs. People arrive as students already being part of county lines and then pressurise other students to do the same. There seems to be a culture there which is being impacted a lot by county lines. I don't just think it’s our campus. Young people are being targeted by gangs. I do think it’s really serious and something needs to be done about it. What I’ve promised to do if I am elected is to go into the university and have a more in-depth conversation with the students to hear what they want to be done about it. It’s clearly a safeguarding issue.”

On Sunday, April 23, 2023, UoN student and drug dealer Kwabena Osei-Poku died after he was stabbed in New South Bridge Road, Far Cotton at 8.50pm – following an altercation which began on the university’s Waterside Campus.

The court trial revealed many revelations about the drug culture at UoN.

The prosecution said that the fatal incident was instigated by a ‘drug dealing turf war’ which saw a ‘large amount of cannabis’ stolen from Kwabena by fellow student Melvin Lebaga-Idubor, who was accompanied by another student, Ogechi Eke.

Lebaga-Idubor, aged 20, of Abbey Road, Barking and Dagenham, was found guilty of murder and locked up for for a minimum of 21 years in November 2023.

Eke was found not guilty of both murder and possession of an article with a blade or point, and was acquitted. He was also found not guilty of manslaughter. However, the court heard how Mr Eke was described as ‘probably the most popular drug dealer on campus’.

Following the incident, UoN has never confirmed whether Eke was expelled from the campus.

A UoN spokesman previously said: “While we cannot comment on individual student cases, the university will always take necessary action in accordance with our disciplinary policy.”

This newspaper submitted a freedom of information request to UoN asking for statistics on the total number of students expelled for drug use, possession, or dealing at the Waterside Campus since its opening in 2018.

According to the obtained data:

In the academic year 2018/19, no information was held regarding student expulsions for drug use, possession, or dealing.

During the academic year 2019/20, a total of 10 students were expelled for such offenses.

However, in the subsequent academic years 2020/21, 2021/22, and 2022/23, no students were expelled for drug-related offenses at the Waterside Campus.

Information for the current academic year, 2023/24, is ‘currently unavailable’, which is the year where Eke could have been expelled. UoN has been asked when it will be available.

Eke also claimed in court that he was not the main dealer. ‘There were several,' he said.

Responding to this claim, the UoN spokesman said: “When the university and the police have credible, actionable intelligence we will take the necessary action to prevent drug dealers targeting students. Our CCTV and close working relationship with the police led to the swift arrest and successful prosecution of the person responsible for the killing of Kwabena.”

Earlier this year, Chronicle and Echo put a series of questions to UoN about the events leading up to the murder of Kwabena and county lines drug dealing, here’s what they said.

Does UON think there is an issue with drug use and supply at UON?

A UoN spokesman said: “Research has shown across the UK 17% of students say they have used drugs while at university. We must, and will, do all we can to work with authorities to shut down drug sales to university students, and also to support those who use drugs to help them to stop.”

What is being done about drug use and drug supply at UON?

The spokesman said senior leaders at UoN and Northamptonshire Police now meet bi-monthly for a strategic review meeting, ‘considering incident data, intelligence, and emerging best practice to inform strategic priorities for the coming period’.

What is the UON policy of drugs? Has this policy been updated since Kwabena's death?

The spokesman said the current policy is being revised. However, the current disciplinary policy says the university operates a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy towards the dealing of illegal substances and/or the possession of weapons. Any student caught breaking these rules will be immediately suspended from studies and taken through the university’s disciplinary process. They may then face termination from the institution. Any such behaviour will also be reported immediately to the police.

Do you think students feel safe on campus following the murder?

The spokesman said: “We know that concerns about safety on campus will remain after a crime has been committed so close to campus. That is why we our Security and Police teams have taken a number of actions in the past few months to protect and reassure our community.”

Do you have any regrets?

The spokesman said: “This tragedy was caused by the illegal supply of drugs and the lure of money which claimed the life of a young man and cost another his freedom. The consequences that night have been extremely traumatic for everyone at the university and the families of those involved. Our focus now is to protect our community, and do our utmost to avoid another tragic incident like the death of Kwabena.”

How will UON stop this from happening again?

The spokesman said: “We have two parallel strategies that have already begun. The first is to work with the police and our community to root out the dealers that would target our students.”