22nd May, 2018
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Abia State Command, says it has traced the entrance of some psychotropic substances into the state to Ariaria International Market, Aba.
The state commander, NDLEA, Mr Bamidele Akingbade, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Aba.
Akingbade said that the command was working with state government officials to curtail drug barons’ activities in the market in a way that would not impact negatively on the market.
“We have traced the source of some of these psychotropic substances to Ariaria Market and we are working with the state government.
“But because we are looking at the economic importance of Ariaria Market to the state, we do not want our activities to impact negatively on the market when we carry out operations there.
“So, we want to involve the state government in our bid to ensure that these psychotropic substances are not brought into this state again from Ariaria Market or elsewhere”, he said.
The commander said that his agency was working hard to ensure reduction or total eradication of hard drugs on the streets in the state.
Akingbade said that the NDLEA had secured a federal high court approval to destroy about 6 tonnes of illicit drug substances the command had seized in the last three years.
According to him, the destruction of the drugs would be done publicly when the NDLEA headquarters gives approval and date for the operation.
He said that the command was working with National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Drug Free Clubs to establish branches of the club in some secondary schools in the state.
“We noticed that drug abuse has spread to children in primary and secondary schools in the state.
“This is evident in the death of a boy at a secondary school in Arochukwu after he ingested 9 tablets of Tramadol to help him outperform his mates during a school inter-house sports competition in February.
“So we are taking this awareness of Benelyn with codeine and tramadol to primary and secondary schools”, he said.
Akingbade said that the agency had sustained “drug supply reduction” in the state through raiding of black spots and intercepting drug supplies from outside Abia through intelligence gathering.
He said that the agency faced a serious handicap having only one vehicle to move through the 17 local governments of the state which had been hindering its progress.
He called on the state government and donor agencies to assist the agency with vehicles to enable it further reduce “the preponderance of hard drugs” on the streets of Abia.