The Kogi State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 149 suspects with a total of 2,699kg of assorted hard drugs between January and June 2022.
The Kogi State Commander of the NDLEA, Mr Abdulkadir Abdullahi Fakai, made the disclosure during a press briefing on Tuesday the 21st of June 2022 in Lokoja to mark the beginning of 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 for the fight against drug abuse.
The Commander said that 149 drug suspects made up of both males and females were arrested with 2,699kg of assorted drugs within the period under review. The drugs confiscated include codeine, Methamphetamine, Exol-5, Diazepam, tramadol, Cannabis sativa, and 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 least of 59.973 kg was recorded in June.
He said that the command has already tried and convicted 29 accused persons while other cases are still pending at the Federal High Court, Lokoja.
“The drug situation in Nigeria and indeed Kogi is disturbing, especially being a microcosm of Nigeria, and as a federating unit, Kogi cannot stand alone in the face of this ominous threat of drug abuse and trafficking.
“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 the drug problem is mutating into a colossal social problem.
“It has become an issue linked beyond doubt to the escalation of insecurity and its attendant effects on peace and economy across the country,”
He said that the debilitating effects of armed robbery, kidnapping, banditry, rape and other violent crimes against humanity were contesting for the soul of our nation.
“We know that drugs are mostly the catalyst for these vices because anywhere that there are drugs, there is crime and vice versa.” He said this explains why the command has engaged in various operations, sensitization, and courtesy/advocacy visits to Gov Yahaya Bello, the Kogi Secretary of State, Government, traditional rulers and the State security chiefs including the Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Army.
Written by Adekunle Biodun