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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Edo State Commandant, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Buba Obadiah Wakawa, yesterday, said the command has counselled and rehabilitated 257 drug dependent clients and reunited them with their families
He made the disclosure in Benin while marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, with the theme, “Drug Challenges in Health and Humanitarian Crisis”.
Besides, he said the command equally secured 58 convictions, while 76 cases are still pending in the Federal High Court.
The NDLEA commandant stated that between the period of one year, much grounds were covered in the Command’s quest to rid the state of hard drugs.
Chairman, Edo State Drug Control Committee (ESDCC), Prof. Obehi Akoria, said this year’s theme, which was informed by the need to look at the drug problem through the lens of public health and tackle it as a broader social problem, rather than through the conventional, narrow, criminal matter approach, could not be overemphasised.
Akoria said drug and substance abuse has become a major public health challenge confronting youths and the entire world, pointing out that the menace of the social vice is far reaching and millions are being dragged into the black hole unknowing to them.
She said since its inception, the committee has achieved a lot, ranging from sensitisation and advocacy campaigns in schools and public gatherings, setting up of drug free clubs in secondary schools, and participating in the National Sports Festival hosted in the state in 2021.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA, yesterday, decried the threat posed by the prevalence of illicit drugs and trafficking to the fundamentals of good society.
The NDLEA Commander, Kaduna State Command, Mr Umar Adoro, raised the alarm after a walk by the command, to celebrate this year’s UN Day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking in Kaduna.
The NDLEA commander noted that some children were no longer under the control of their parents due to the influence of illicit drugs, adding that “ethical values are disappearing in our society, all due to illicit drugs abuse and trafficking.”
He appealed to the government, parents, religious and political leaders and other stakeholders to unite against illicit drug abuse and trafficking, to collectively fight the menace.
