NDLEA Arrests 60 Drug Suspects In Akwa Ibom In Three Months

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Akwa Ibom State Command says it has arrested 60 drug suspects and secured convictions in the last three months.
The Commander of NDLEA in the state, Mrs Obot Bassey, disclosed this on Tuesday, during an interactive session with newsmen in Uyo, the capital city of the state.

She said that apart from the 11 convictions secured, several cases were still pending and were undergoing prosecution at different stages in court.
Bassey said that efforts must be prioritized to sensitize and create awareness of the devastating consequences of drug abuse and Illicit trafficking on youths and society, especially during this yuletide.
“As I explained to you between September and now, we have seizure of over 150kg just within the period under discussion, in terms of drugs and psychotropic substances seized.
“We have arrested over 60 suspects and have convicted over 11 and jailed them and counselled over 42 persons and rehabilitated over 10 persons.
“We are doing a lot of awareness and sensitisation, like yesterday, I was with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) sensitizing the Church on the dangers of the latest drug in town called fentanyl. It is an opioid and is supposed to be used for surgery for the relief of severe pains,” Bassey said.

The commander added that during the period, the command also made a seizure of about 90kg of amphetamine substance, stressing that the drug was very deadly and should not be found on the street.
She said the command was doing everything possible to mop up all the hard drugs and psychotropic substances from the street to ensure hitch-free yuletide.
The commander appealed to multinational organisations, philanthropists and all individuals to join hands with NDLEA to reduce drug abuse and trafficking to the barest minimum in the state.
“So, I am using this medium to tell the entire Akwa Ibom people to look for all substances that are not supposed to be consumed and keep NDLEA posted on these substances or where they suspect any environment, or neighbours doing any illicit drug trading or abuse,” she said.
On her projection for 2023, the NDLEA boss in the state said the command would sweep Akwa Ibom clean of drug trafficking and drug abuse and continue to educate the public on what drug is, drug abuse and misuse.

According to her, one of the major challenges confronting the Agency was the lack of logistics vehicles to cover the 31 Local Government Areas of the state.
She appealed to multinational organisations and all philanthropists in the state to come to their assistance, adding that when the drug menace is curbed, insecurity will be reduced to the barest minimum.
The commander appealed to all Akwa Ibom people to remain drug-free to derive optimal health, safety and security for sustained growth of socio-economic development and general well-being during this period of celebration.