The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said it has established a special task force across the country to track and dismantle drug cartels behind the production and distribution of methamphetamine, popularly called ‘Mkpuru Mmiri’ being abused by youths in South-Eastern parts of the country.
Chairman of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa stated this while fielding questions from journalists at a press briefing at the agency’s national headquarters in Abuja on Monday, to mark his first anniversary as chairman/CEO of the agency.
He listed the arrest of 12, 306 suspects, including 7 drug barons; conviction of 1, 400 offenders; seizure of over 3.4 million kilograms of assorted drugs; drugs and cash worth over N130 billion and the counselling and rehabilitation of 7, 761 drug users as some of the achievements recorded in 2021 in the area of operation.
Marwa challenged communities across Nigeria to take ownership of the war against drug abuse as those in South East states are doing by standing up to those engaging in abuse and trafficking of illicit drugs.
Marwa observed that some people in the South East have the preponderance to deal in drugs. “I’m not saying anything new but the South East has the predominance and that’s a fact”
“We have the preponderance of the drug dealers from the South-east, but what more do you have; the greatest efforts to rid the country and communities of drug use are from the South-East. Clearly, in the same South-East, they are doing two things; first, they are telling their fellow travellers who are not decent, that look ‘you are the very few who are spoiling our names here. Stop it!’
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He noted that the people were also working hard to rid their communities of drug abuse, in line with the core mandate of securing the country against the drug scourge.
According to Marwa, the communities “have taken the ownership of the war themselves against drug abuse especially the Mkpuru-Mmiri. By the way, we have set up a special task force to face that challenge and very soon you would hear and see the results of our efforts.”
“In essence, what I am saying is that, I am now taking the South-East as an example, for all the other communities in Nigeria. This war has to start from the bottom, from the communities; set up your War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, committees.
“We will be there to support with counseling and treatments. And I urge the entire country to take an example of the ownership of the war against drug abuse from the South-East.”
While promising to build on the foundation laid in 2021, Marwa said the agency under his leadership now has a clear roadmap to the future.
According to him, “the agency has come a long way. And there is still a long way to go. We have a clear vision of where we are headed, and there is a roadmap to that destination.
“Our mandate is to ensure a drug-free Nigeria. We shall continue to play our role towards the achievement of that goal.”
