31st December, 2010
By Simon Ateba
A drug trafficker, who was arrested with 35 kilogrammes of cannabis, has been sentenced to 18 years imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria.
Justice Faji Olayinka found 30-year old Bello Abdullahi guilty on two count charge of unlawful possession and dealing in hard drugs and sentenced him to 18 years imprisonment.
The drug convict was arrested by NDLEA operatives of the Kwara State command along Ilorin-Jebba Road on 6 January 2010 while on his way to Funtua, Katsina State.
The NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, described the sentence as very encouraging, adding that it is a foretaste of what drug convicts will experience in 2011.
“The nation is looking forward to an era of strict enforcement through adherence to adequate and efficient legal framework. Drug traffickers must brace up for strict drug law enforcement in 2011. This is one of our strategies in reducing cases of drug trafficking in the country,†Giade said.
According to Giade, effective drug control has some components: Adequacy and efficacy of legal framework, drug demand reduction and control of illicit drug supply.
“Nigeria must persistently deploy resources in addressing the illicit trade in narcotics. Our policy is to stifle drug trafficking cartels through constant arrests, investigation of assets and diligent prosecution,†he said.
Giade said that the country must learn from the bizarre experiences of Mexico where official figures of drug related deaths in 2010 are 15,000.
“The official statistics of drug related killings in Mexico is far higher than that of Afghanistan, a nation officially at war. We must therefore be proactive and take urgent measures to check the activities of drug barons. Every stakeholder must identify their roles and actively participate in drug control efforts,†Giade said.
