The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Yobe State Command, said its operatives have seized more than 900 kilograms of cannabis sativa, cocaine, heroin as well as other psychotropic substances across the state.
The State Commandant of the Agency, Aliyu Yahaya, disclosed this to newsmen during a media briefing in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, while commemorating this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The Commandant added that the Command has also apprehended 160 suspects for various drug-related offences in the state in the ongoing ‘War Against Drug Abuse’.
He explained that, among the suspected drug traffickers and users arrested within the year under review include 155 males and 1 female out of which 18 have been convicted.
The NDLEA Commandant added that “the total number of our counsel case is 92, during the period under review and we have two referrals that is, those that we reffed to other NDLEA commands that have standard rehabilitation centres”.
Aliyu solicited the support of the Yobe State Government especially in the area of rehabilitation of drug addicts as the state lacks a functional rehabilitation centre for that purpose.
Yobe being the second to Gombe in the North East, in terms of high number of illicit drug trafficking and abuse cases, the NDLEA Commander in the state sought the cooperation of communities for the anti-narcotic agency to achieve its mandate in the fight against drug abuse and other related offences.
Recall that the United Nations has set aside the 26th of June of every year for the commemoration of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The theme for this year is “Addressing Drug Challenges in Health and Humanitarian Crisis”.