During its mop-up operations in Oyo State ahead of the new administration’s inauguration on May 29, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency reported the arrest of 20 drug suspects.
At a news conference on Saturday in Ibadan, the State Commander, Mr. Olayinka Joe-Fadile, revealed that the command had detained 20 people—18 men and 2 women—most of them were drug users—and recovered 2.96kg of cannabis sativa.
In response to an instruction from the Chairman of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa, to conduct thorough intelligence mop-up operations to safeguard the safety of all states in advance of the inauguration, Joe-Fadile said that the command enhanced its mop-up activities.
When he assumed office on May 8th, the newly appointed State Commander said that his main objective was to carry out the requirements contained in the agency’s enabling statute.
“We are going after drug farms, manufacturers, distributors and users which we see as victims.
“We counsel, rehabilitate, and reintegrate them into society, while the hardened drug merchants will be prosecuted according to the provisions of law.
“We have lots of forest in the state, which has made cannabis planting convenient.
“Our target is to destroy these drugs from farms before they get to maturity and get to market, we will also mop up the few that escape to the market.
NDLEA ARRESTS 20 IN ANAMBRA OVER ILLICIT DRUGS
“The command recently discovered and destroyed a drug farm at Olosun village in Akinyele Local Government Area of the state, and we are going for more.
“Drugs are a catalyst for every violent and nonviolent crime, as long as we can get drugs off the streets, we can assure the populists that May 29 will be as peaceful as possible.
“We intend to keep as many arrested suspects as possible and release them back to society after the May 29 inauguration through social reintegration procedures, ” he said.
The state commander also warned that the war against drugs in Nigeria was ongoing and would not be conducted as usual. He stated that the new administration would not tolerate illegal drug activity and that the command was prepared to go to great lengths to apprehend drug lords.
He also acknowledged the support and cooperation of stakeholders in the state, including religious leaders, security personnel, and government officials, and called for further collaboration to eliminate drug use in the state.
(NAN)
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