President Bola Tinubu has assured his administration’s support for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in its fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
“I commend and urge everyone to redouble their efforts to combat drug abuse and trafficking in the country. On this score, I wish to reassure you of this administration’s support. “Investing in prevention is not merely a moral imperative, a prudent way of safeguarding our future. By allocating resources towards evidence-based prevention programmes, we can break the vicious cycle of drug abuse and protect our youth from falling prey to the menace.”
In his welcome remark, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa said that the ‘Save Our Families’ social advocacy campaign launched at the ceremony, is designed to prevent and tackle drug use through early detection and intervention by making the Agency’s newly produced special drug test kits a necessity in every home, schools and workplaces.
He said the agency has so far arrested 52,901 drug traffickers, including 48 barons, and obtained over 9,000 convictions of suspects in the last three years. “The imperative to invest in prevention is dictated by evidence-based results that have shown that prevention is far more cost effective than dealing with the consequences of drug use disorder. Because, after all, prevention is better than cure.
“The magnitude of our effort is reflected in the statistics of our drug supply reduction activities. We have arrested 52, 901 drug traffickers, including 48 barons, in three and half years. Over 9, 000 of the suspects have been convicted in court. We have also seized over the same periods 7.6 million kilograms of assorted illicit substances,” he said.
“An aspect of our offensive action operation also targets cannabis sativa at source to prevent it from reaching our cities and streets. In this regard, we continually locate and destroy cannabis farms deep in the forests where they are cultivated. So far, we have destroyed 1, 057 hectares of cannabis farms in the past three years.
According to him, the committee, which he chairs, comprises relevant ministries, departments, and agencies, crucial to drug abuse prevention, including the Federal Ministries of Health and Social Welfare, Education, Women Affairs, Information, Youths, and agencies like NAFDAC and NACA, among others.