NDLEA seizes 7,149 kg of drugs in Nasarawa

The Nasarawa State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it has seized a total of 7,149 Kilograms of hard drugs between July 2023 and June 2024.

The State Commander of the NDLEA, Peter Onche-Odaudu, disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday during a press briefing as part of week-long activities to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Lafia.

According to the commander, the arduous task of checking the menace of drug abuse and Illicit trafficking, despite daunting challenges of logistics and paucity of funds yielded modest achievements within the months under review.

Onche-Odaudu gave the breakdown of the seizure to include: cannabis sativa 7,037.2 kg; Cocaine, 0.011 kg, methamphetamine, 0.185 kg, while sundry psychotropic substances accounted for 111.534 kg.

He explained that the United Nations had set aside June 26 annually to be marked by member nations; noting that this year’s theme tagged, “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention,” was apt as it emphasised that prevention is better than cure in the issues of drug abuse.

He said, “To commemorate this day in the Nasarawa State Command, a couple of activities have been lined up including an advocacy walk starting from Lafia Square and ending at the Lafia stadium, and the grand finale will be held on June 26 at the Conference Room of the Federal Secretariat, Lafia.”

He added that the command would take anti-drug sensitisation campaigns to the GSM Village, Lafia, and the Lafia Custodial Centre by next week Monday and Tuesday.

While expressing his gratitude to Governor Abdullahi Sule for the huge contributions given to the command thus far, Onche-Odaudu appreciated the support of journalists, sister security agencies and other stakeholders in the state for joining the command in the war against drug abuse.