15:07 27/06/2015
Abakaliki - Raph Igwenagu, Ebonyi State Commander of the National
Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) on Saturday said it arrested 85
suspects for drug related offences in the first half of 2015.
Igwenagu
made this known in Abakaliki at a forum to commemorate the 2015
International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking.
He said 75 males and 10 females were arrested while 55 kilogrammes of drugs were seized from the suspects.
"The
command also secured the conviction of 25 suspects while 35 drug users
were counselled and discharged and three drug dependent persons are
still undergoing rehabilitation," he said.
According
to him, drug abuse does not only influence anti-social behaviour, it is
a major predisposing factor for all forms of crimes and criminalities
such as youth restiveness, armed robbery, cultism, assassination, among
others.
The commander held that youth’s involvement in drug abuse
had brought about unprecedented breakdown in societal and family values,
increase in school dropouts, low productivity and the spread of HIV and
AIDS.
He called on Nigerians to join hands in the effort to
critically appraise the menace of drug challenges in the society and to
evolve means to eradicate its inherent dangers to the country.
"This
programme serves as a veritable platform for the agency to critically
appraise its activities in the better part of the year as well as
provide the compass necessary to chart a way forward", he said.
The
Commissioner of police in the state, Dikko Maigari, cautioned Nigerian
youths against involvement in drug abuse in view of its damaging effect
on the body and the society.
He warned that the long arms of the
law would always catch up with those who are involved in drug abuse and
illicit drug trafficking.
Other speakers on the occasion were,
Bibian Okpoko, Comptroller of Prisons, Ebonyi State, Magnus Eze,
Coordinator, Okposi Development Center and Richard Anichukwu, state
Coordinator, NAFDAC.
The Theme of the celebration is Lets Develop Our Lives,Our Communities,Our Identies Without Drugs.
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