From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Kogi National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Commander, Mr Abdulkadir Abdullahi Fakai said the command has arrested 149 suspects with a total of 2, 699kg of assorted hard drugs between January and June this year in the State.
Commander Abdullahi Fakai, disclosed this during a Press briefing on Tuesday in Lokoja to mark the beginning of a week long activities in celebration of the 2022 United Nations Day Against drug Abuse and trafficking.
Fakai said that the theme “Addressing Drug Challenges In Health And Humanitarian Crisis” was carefully chosen to mark the 2022 UN Day of fight against drug abuse.
The Commander said that 149 drug suspects made up of both male and female were arrested with the 2,699kg assorted drugs within the period under review include codeine, Methamphetamine, Exol-5, Diazepam, tramadol, Cannabis sativa, Pentazocine amongst others.
The NDLEA boss said that the Agency recorded the highest seizure of 948.956kg in April followed by 307.815kg in May while the list of 59.973 kg was recorded within June.
He said that already the command has tried and convicted 29 accused persons while other cases are still pending at the Federal High Court, Lokoja.
“The implication on security, economic and the general wellbeing is dire. Statistics and empirical facts from National Drug Law Enforcement Agency operations indicate clearly that drug problem is mutating into a colossal social problem.”
“It has become an issue linked beyond doubt to escalation of insecurity and its attendant effects on peace and economy across the country, ” he said
He said “the debilitating effects of armed robbery, kidnapping, banditry, rape and other violent crimes against humanity were contesting for the soul of our nation.”
He disclosed, “In the area of drug abuse and preventive education (DAPE), 25 schools and organizations where sensitized from January to date while 84 clients referred from investigation units were counselled within the period.”
“Drug war is a onerous task that can not be left in the hands of the agency alone but include traditional rulers, the State security chiefs including the Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Army respectively”.
Fakai, however, called on the general public for cooperation, support and provision of useful information to the agency whenever they see or hear something strange.
