Drug trafficking/abuse: Displacing charlatans from gatekeeping institutions

Threats on the societal fabrics of the Nigerian society by drug related escapades have been resounding recently. Most particularly, as crime rate worsens, the impacts of hard-drug related activities have been noted to be a weighty factor in the cause and effect relation analysis. The proliferation of substance abuse has been a bane the society is facing, as increasing criminal tendencies have been linked with proliferation of hard drugs and its abuse. The trafficking of these illicit drugs has grown as an unlawful venture with extensive wings, forming an estate of misadventures portending debilitating impacts in the Country. As authorities frown at the illegitimacy, the clampdowns by relevant agencies have continually revealed how deep the rot of the menace is in the fabrics of the Nigerian society.

Efforts by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have continuously led to humongous arrests and seizures of illicit substances. Last week, the Agency’s operation report was ridden with similar narratives of seizures of hard substances with some sensations. An arrest of such sensational notation was one involving seizing a cleric, the General Overseer of Christ Living Hope Church, Rev. Ugochukwu Emmanuel at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos, while on his way to a three-week crusade in Nairobi, Kenya, with 54 sticks of drugs wrapped around his body. The youthful and popular cleric who has his headquarters in Isuaniocha, Mgbakwu road, Awka, Awka North LGA, Anambra state and two other branches in Lagos and Abuja, was arrested on Monday 7th March, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight to Nairobi via Addis Ababa. A statement by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, had read: “When the 54 sticks found on the General Overseer were tested, they proved positive to cannabis. The clergyman confessed during the preliminary interview that he packed that quantity of illicit substance on his body to use during his three weeks crusade in Kenya.”

Accounts of other arrests in the previous week as contained in the  Statement read: “On the same day, another passenger, Nnakeanyi Chukwuka King who arrived at the airport on Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa was intercepted during the inward clearance of passengers at the E-Arrival Hall of the MMIA. During a search of his luggage, forty (40) parcels of Cocaine concealed inside bottles of body cream with a gross weight of 9.70kg were recovered from the suspect. Three days later, Wednesday 9th March, another passenger on Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy, Mr. Edo Blessing was intercepted at the Departure Hall of the airport with 2,090 tablets of Tramadol 225mg and Flunitrazepam. The suspect who hails from Edo state but lives in Italy claimed ownership of the recovered psychotropic substances.

“Also on the same day, operatives arrested a freight agent, Rafiu Abbas at the NAHCO Export Shed of the airport when he presented a cargo containing 19.15kg cannabis going to London. The illicit substance was concealed inside plastic containers labelled as ‘African Dishes’ and packed in a bag.

“In a related development, a 63-year-old Vincent Obimma was on Friday 11th March arrested with 350grams of cocaine and 150grams of heroin by NDLEA operatives at a park in the Apapa seaport corridor in Lagos. The drugs were hidden in industrial torch packets heading to Kano, Kano state. Meanwhile, a drug dealer in Kaduna state, James Okenwa has been arrested in a follow-up operation at Central Market, Kaduna. He admitted the ownership of 1,807 bottles of cough syrup with codeine that were earlier recovered from two suspects at the tollgate. At the point of his arrest, another 152 bottles of the drug were recovered from his vehicle. He has accepted ownership of all the 1,959 bottles of codeine syrup.

“In Yobe state, two fake security agents: Akalonu Justin and Azimbi Festus who were coming from Onitsha and heading to Maiduguri, Borno state have were arrested with 25 blocks of Cannabis Sativa weighing 12 .5kg and 1, 598 bottles of Codeine Syrup weighing 159.8 Liters, while 85kg of cannabis was also recovered from the warehouse of a notorious drug dealer in Pawari area of Damaturu, the state capital on Thursday10th March. In Anambra state, a total of 38,605 tablets of assorted opioids were recovered from a 29-year- old drug dealer, Awoke Friday at Nkwelle junction, Onitsha on Friday 11th March with the support of men of the Nigeria Police.”

It is saddening that the fabrics of the Nigerian society is heavily under the siege of criminal tendencies. The depth of the psyche of preponderating predisposition to illegitimate ventures and various unlawful acts appear to have become deep rooted such that those who are meant to be gatekeepers are themselves found in the act of despicable devices. It has therefore become worrisome to think of what the future holds for a society where the erosion of moral disposition to the comportment of right thinking members of the public living to fulfil obligations is becoming scarce. The gradual collapse of the fabrics of institutions of constrains to guide citizens in their conducts is a potent threat that portends ills for the Nigerian society. The narratives of the involvement of those occupying seats of gatekeepers who are found indulging covertly and overtly, where clearly perceivable, in reprehensible conducts have continually dealt huge blow on  eroding lines of distinction between wrong and right. The revelations of the collapse have continued to lure more young ones into despicable acts, while emboldening perpetrators to expand and toughen their tentacles.

It has become observable that the depth of unlawful acts, such as drug trafficking and its abuse, have grown too deep that tackling same has left the shores of what only the Government can handle. The prevailing situation now calls for the awakening of all right thinking Nigerians to rise to the task of the course of pushing forth the campaign against hard drug proliferation and its chains of networks within their respective jurisdiction. Propelling the campaign from family units, to the local-communal level up to statewide, regional and the forefront of national sphere of influence has become important. Where the Government needs to come to play its roles at the local to the macroscopic sphere of interest remains sacrosanct, just as it behooves other gate-keeping institutions as civil society organisations, related non-governmental organisations, religious and socio-cultural institutions, among others, to rise to propel the campaign against the deep-rooted proliferation of hard drug-related ventures, its associated networks and abuse.

It is noteworthy that when the brunts of the menace blows their wind, the Country as a whole would catch the cold. The situation places the demand for all to rise against the challenge, as the use of State apparatus of force at the height of its enforcement has not halted the sprouting wings of the networks of the illegal estates rising from the illicit venture. It therefore behooves all well meaning Nigerians to rise to sanitise the gate-keeping institutions which are increasingly being occupied by charlatans. Displacing such charlatans would only become a reality when the voice of genuine campaigners becomes more concerted, resounding and reverberating.