National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Niger State Command, has revealed that 70 per cent of schools in the state have established drug clubs to curb abuse. The Commander, Bwalin Musa, gave the hint while briefing journalists in his office in Minna, over the weekend, as part of activities to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, with the theme, ‘People First, Stop Stigmatisation and Discrimination, Strengthen Prevention’.

According to Musa, in recent times, officers and men of the command had embarked on awareness campaigns to secondary and tertiary institutions in the state to educate the students on the dangers associated with intake of illicit drugs, adding that lecturers were not left out of the sensitisation.

“Our interface with students, both in secondary and tertiary institutions, yielded result because 70 per cent of schools across the state has established drug clubs. However, management of these schools were overwhelmed with our visit and described the awareness campaign as a step in the right direction,” Musa added.

The NDLEA boss pointed out that this year, the command arrested 250 persons engaged in illicit drugs, while 64 of them were convicted and remanded in correctional centres. He disclosed that the agency recovered 2,218.02 kilogrammes of India hemp in Niger through raids on identified black spots.

The agency, he said, witnessed unprecedented transformation under the chairmanship of Gen. Mohammed Marwa (rtd), assuring that officers and men of the command would not relent in their efforts to curb drug abuse across the state.

Musa appealed to the state government to assist the command with operational vehicles to enable them rid the state of illicit drugs. He described the synergy between the police and other law enforcement agencies in the state as perfect, commending traditional rulers for their support to the agency.