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National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), yesterday, declared war on drug abuse and trafficking in Edo State, urging Christian and Islamic leaders to join in the fight.
The agency also raised concerns over the increasing involvement of South African nationals in international drug trafficking, disclosing that three citizens of the country were arrested in recent operations involving large quantities of illicit substances.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, spoke at an Interactive Stakeholder Engagement attended by the army, police, members of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), civil society organisations (CSOs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community leaders and other stakeholders.
Addressing the stakeholders at the event with the theme, ‘Addressing the Drug Problem in Edo State’, the NDLEA boss said the fight against illicit drugs “is a whole-of-society approach that all stakeholders must join hands, flex muscles, work together, collaborate and defeat this criminality.”
Marwa, who urged parents and guardians to set good examples and monitor their children, said it’s better to take an early approach to drug abuse and take those who are already into it seriously early.
He said every criminal act could be traced to the use of illicit drugs.
The NDLEA boss urged schools in the country to establish drug-free and counselling clubs within school communities, just as he encouraged students and pupils to report to their teachers and headmasters when offered drugs.
The agency said the South African suspects were arrested in separate operations, with operatives recovering heroin, cocaine and synthetic cannabis, popularly known as Loud.
Assistant Director, Media and Advocacy of NDLEA, Francis Okogun, during a joint security briefing in Abuja yesterday, said the arrests attracted attention because of the negative impression they could create about Nigeria internationally, particularly amid concerns over the activities of foreign nationals involved in moving illicit drugs through the country.
He said investigations showed that some foreign nationals were increasingly facilitating the movement of illicit substances through Nigeria to other countries, while others were involved in bringing drugs into the country.
The NDLEA spokesman said the quantities and variety of drugs recovered from the suspects suggested possible links to international drug trafficking networks.
Okogun said the agency had commenced further investigations to establish the destinations of the seized substances and identify the cartels sponsoring the operations.
He explained that investigations into international drug trafficking were often complicated by the reluctance of suspects to disclose information about their sponsors and the final destinations of consignments.
