Mr Charles Onubuogu, Anambra State Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says the command is determined to eradicate drug abuse and trafficking in the state.

Onubuogu said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Thursday.

He called on the public to have confidence in the command to deliver on its mandates of keeping the state illicit drugs free.

He, therefore, appealed for cooperation from members of the public, particularly in the area of providing useful information in the command’s strive to make the state free from drug trafficking and consumption.

Onubuogu told NAN that no meaningful development would be achieved in a society where drug abuse and trafficking were rampant.

He urged the media, community leaders, faith-based organisations, and NGOs to partner with the command for aggressive awareness creation on the demerits of substance abuse.

Onubuogu decried the alarming rate of drug-related crimes in some communities in the state and urged united efforts to tackle the menace.

“We can reasonably reduce the demand and supply of illicit substances in our communities and save the future of our loved ones from drug destruction if we pay due attention to them.

“We as a body have a responsibility to train our children well and warn them against harmful practices capable of destroying their existence,” he said.