By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Kogi State Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Mr Alfred Adewumi, on Monday, disclosed that the command recovered illicit drugs worth over N3 billion naira in the state.
Addressing newsmen at the command headquarter in Lokoja, Mr. Adewumi stated that the total weight of the illicit drug exhibit recovered within the period of January to December 2020 stands at 313,368.759 kg and worth over N3 billion naira.
According to him his men also arrested a total number of 174 suspects comprising 162 male and 12 female for the period under review.
He also added that the command was able to secure 15 convictions while 17 other cases are still pending in court, stressing that where it was possible to trace and connect any of their assets to drugs, these have been seized and some vehicles have actually being forfeited to the federal government.
Mr Adewumi noted that the command carried out short intervention counselling for 126 persons and successfully rehabilitated three others within the year.
“Supportive parenting and monitoring of children’s behaviour can be a strong factor in lowering the rates of drug dealing and abuse, especially among youths,” he said.
He stressed that the command has effectively manned the gateway between the Southern and Northern parts of Nigeria and foiled many attempts by unscrupulous drug dealers to flood the streets of the nation with drugs and turn her citizens into addict and junkies.
“The appointment of Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa rtd, as Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, has engendered hope, provoked new altitude of impetus and driven the adrenaline level for the performance of officers and men of the agency to a new heights.” he added.
