The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA),Rivers State Command said it has confiscated 706.7844kg illicit drugs and arrested 20 suspects in three quarters of 2012.
This was disclosed by the Principal Staff Officer, Public Affairs of the Command, Mr Muhammad Tukur in an exclusive interview with Nigerian NewsDirect in Port Harcourt. A breakdown of the figure shows that,188.8kg of cannabis sativa, otherwise referred to as indianhem,38.5grams of cocaine,2.1grams of heroine and 1.5grams of psychotropic substances were seized between January and March,2012.
NDLEA said between April and June,500.985kg of cannabis sativa,163grams of cocaine and 538.1grams of psychotropic substances were also confiscated. The NDLEA Spokesman also told The Newswriter that the 3rd quarter of 2012 witnessed the seizure of 16.161kg of cannabis sativa,94.7grams of cocaine and 0.5grams of heroine, bringing the total of seizures during the period under review to 706.7844kg.
On the number of persons convicted so far,Mr Tukur said they have recorded about 20 convictions, contending that the responsibility of conviction rests squarely on the judiciary and that the duties of NDLEA ends with arrest and prosecution.
He used the opportunity to appeal to the State, Local Government and corporate organizations to support NDLEA, pointing out that despite the fact that the Agency was set up by the Federal Government, it serves the interest of the people, hence the need for a concerted effort to enable the Agency achieve the desired result.
Tukur lamented that the Command in the State has only 2 operational vehicles, which he said are grossly inadequate, coupled with the fact that the rehabilitation centre of the Command lacks equipment for effective operations.
Asked why the Rivers State Government has not come to the aid of the Command like the other law enforcement agencies, the Public Affairs Officer said they are still hoping that the government will respond to its requests to that effect.##
Barth Ndu
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