By Ibironke Ariyo, Abuja.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) seized 13, 125 kilogrammes of drug substances and arrested 793 suspects in 2022.
The NDLEA Commander in the FCT, Mr Kabir Tsakuwa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a pre-event press briefing on grassroots sensitisation and awareness campaign on the dangers of illicit drugs.
Tsakuwa said that 2022 was a fruitful year for the command, adding that records of arrests, seizures and convictions were quite impressive.
He said that the agency’s counselling and rehabilitation programmes also yielded positive results in the territory.
According to him, a total of 793 suspects, comprising of 768 males and 29 females, were arrested.
“Over 13, 125 kilogrammes of different drug substances were seized. The breakdown of the seized drugs are 12, 660.3 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa.
“Others include 21.957 kilogrammes of cocaine, 0.008 kilogrammes of heroin and 443.693 kilogrammes of different psychotropic substances,” he said.
Besides, the NDLEA boss said that the command secured 167 convictions comprised of 161 male and six female drug offenders.
Tsakuwa also said that 78 persons, comprising of 74 males and four females, with drug use problems were successfully counselled and rehabilitated within the period.
He stressed that efforts were underway to achieve better achievements in drug supply and drug demand reduction in 2023.
Tsakuwa commended all stakeholders, including security agencies, for their assistance in intelligence sharing, joint operations and prevention of drug abuse and trafficking in the society.
He also lauded the traditional rulers in FCT, saying that their efforts had been helpful, while the agency remained appreciative of them.
“We must always remind ourselves that the drugs problem exists in every community, and we need to address it at all levels.
“We, therefore, implore you to sustain this robust engagement, with a view of ridding our society of substance abuse and its attendant consequences,” he said.
