‘Candidates canvassing for votes should unveil anti-drugs agenda’
• HURIWA supports amendments to NDLEA Act
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has charged candidates in the February 25 presidential election to speak out on their national anti-drugs blueprints.
The group challenged media houses and Nigerians to demand from the candidates the need to spell out on how each of them plans to sustain the intensive crusade against hard drugs, adding that a blueprint from them will help to revive the National Agency on Foods and Drugs Administration (NAFDAC).
In a statement by the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, he said it is critical that the presidential candidates are tasked to publicise their counter narcotic blueprints to avoid a downgrade of the vigorous war against drug traffickers.
He said efforts made by the General Marwa-led NDLEA to rid Nigeria of hard drugs and to delist Nigeria from the global notoriety as a major transit front for major drug barons from South America has brought phenomenal improvement in the country’s image.
HURIWA said it is pleasing that the Chairman of NDLEA, Mohammed Marwa, confirmed that the agency has secured 3,733 convictions of drug dealers in 24 months just as a total of 26,458 drug traffickers, including 34 drug barons, were also arrested within the period.
The rights group said it is an uncommon achievement for the NDLEA to have reached the phenomenal milestone of 2,346 convictions recorded in 2022 alone, the highest in the history of the agency and almost double the highest ever recorded in the 33 years of NDLEA.
MEANWHILE, the group has endorsed the move by the National Assembly to amend the NDLEA Act, which is presently in its final stage of amendment. HURIWA said it is salutary that it is a private bill sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, Senator Hezekiah Dimka.
