The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Marwa (retd.) on Wednesday, vowed to explore all avenues within the ambit of the law to rid the country of the menace of hard drugs.
Marwa made the vow in Enugu during the public destruction by burning of 23,721.7948kg of illicit drugs seized by Enugu State NDLEA command between 2008 and 2022.
Represented by the director operation and investigation, Samuel Gadzama, the NDLEA chairman said that of the number Cocaine is 21.699kg; Heroin - 14.828kg; Amphetamine -0.0618kg: Methamphetamine - 24.347kg; precursor chemicals -154.0kg cannabis sativa - 23,225.1kg and pharmaceutical: 281.759kg.
Calling on all Nigerians to team up with government in fighting the war against drug abuse and illicit trafficking, Marwa said "If the present tempo of work in fighting the scourge of drug menace is sustained with the cooperation from non-state actors and parents, there would be no more weeds and other psychotropic substances for burning in the near future."
He insisted that "the negative implications of these twin evils are far-reaching, including, but not limited the adverse effects on the health of people, avoidable road accidents and drug-related criminalities."
He said, "On our part, I promise you that the Agency will not rest on its oars, but will continue to explore all avenues within the ambit of the law to rid the country of the menace of hard drugs. I also want to let you know that NDLEA is not only involved in the arrest and prosecution of drug offenders, but also tackling the scourge through aggressive drug awareness and sensitization programmes, targeting the youths and other vulnerable groups in our society.
"In addition, the Agency has been deeply involved in the counseling and treatment of drug dependent persons."
The chairman expressed his appreciations to the role and contributions of International counter parts; the United States DEA, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UK board force, the German Police among others too numerous to mention to the success story of the Agency.
He also thanked other sister security agencies in the State for their support to the work of NDLEA, while commending the Federal and State Governments and other partners for their support and determination in kicking drugs out of Nigeria.
"The agency recently launched a 24/7 toll-free call center 080010203040 for members of the public who may need help on drug related matters. To everyone here present, I say let us strive to demonstrate total commitment to fighting this our "Common enemy" We can do it"