By Abimbola Ogunnaike
At least 30 drug offenders in Imo State have been convicted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) from July 2023 to June 2024.
The agency also disclosed that it seized 2,639.27 kilograms of hard drugs, arrested 192 offenders.
The Imo Commander of NDLEA, Abdullahi Saeed, made this disclosure while addressing newsmen as part of activities marking the 2024 United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Owerri on Wednesday, 26 June, 2024.
According to Saeed, out of the 192 drug offenders arrested, 171 were males and 21 were females, added that among the seizures made by the command were various types of drugs, including cocaine, cannabis and marijuana, among others.
The state commander of NDLEA said that the command rehabilitated 40 drug users who have been duly handed over to their families and reintegrated into society.
He also expressed regret that a good number of youths in the country, particularly students, find the abuse of drugs fashionable and embrace it without hesitation.
This, he said, was creating a huge problem for society because there is a nexus between drugs and other crimes such as banditry, kidnapping, murder, suicide and rape.
“It pays more to prevent the abuse of drugs than to struggle to treat those already afflicted with drug-related problems. The issue of drug abuse must not be handled by NDLEA alone; strong collaboration with other agencies as well as civil society organisations is required.
“The sustenance of the war on drug abuse is the right and appropriate course of action to undertake now for more immediate good and for the security of our future,” he said.
He called for a collective sustenance of the war on drug abuse and illicit trafficking to ensure a peaceful, prosperous and secure nation.
