By; AMOS TAUNA, Kaduna
Six thousand, six hundred and sixty-eight (6,668) tonnes of illicit substances have been seized by the operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) within two years.
A statement issued on Friday by the spokesperson for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, explained that the agency apprehended over 36,096 suspects and prosecuted over 6,043 within the same period.
According to the statement, “The Chairman of the anti-narcotics agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, disclosed this while responding to a request for partnership and deployment of more NDLEA officers in all parts of Katsina State by Governor Dikko Radda to tame the problem of drug abuse.”
Marwa said, according to the statement that the drug menace is a huge issue and has destroyed the lives of the youths and communities, stressing that it is the public enemy number one, and especially the criminal aspect of it.
It added that ninety-nine per cent of the criminals must first have access to drugs and be under the influence to perpetrate some of their acts, saying that that is why the NDLEA under the collective support of the directorates and the management has put all efforts towards operation ‘offensive action’ that involves going out to seize all drugs cultivated, imported or on the verge of being exported out of the country.
With the number of tons of illicit substances that have been seized in two years, the statement assured that the agency will continue relentlessly until the streets are clean of drugs in the country, pointing out that it is the drug supply reduction aspect, where it arrest the perpetrators of the act, and over 36,096 suspects have been arrested and more than 6,043 already prosecuted and convicted within this period.
