The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Benue State Command, has arrested 41 suspected drug offenders and secured seven convictions within two months.
The command also seized 0.187kg of Psychotropic substances(tramadol), 0.055 kg of Glutathione, and 16 liters of monkey tails and carried out 24 sensitization programs referred to War Against Drugs Abuse at different locations in the State.
Disclosing this on Tuesday, the command’s Public Relations Officer, Philimon Saror, lamented that demand for illicit drug consumption in the state remained high, hence the sensitization lectures.
According to him, the increase in demand for illicit substances in the state was as a result of the younger ones joining the queue of drug consumption every day, noting that the command would not relent on its duty but continue to suppress the situation to a very minimal level.
Giving the breakdown of arrests and seizures in the period under review, Saror explained that in the month of March 2024, the command arrested six suspects, made up of five males and one female with a seizure of 0.187kg of tramadol while two convictions were secured.
Read Also:
He said, “For the month of April 2024, we have a seizure in this manner: 31 males, and four females, totaling 35. We also seized 0.055 kg of Glutathione and 16 liters of monkey tails.
“We have five convictions, filed another seven new cases. Under the Drugs Demand Reduction, we have 13 interventions, those arrested and counseled by the DDR officers were released.
“We carried out other activities at the Dangote Group of companies and NYSC orientation camp, Wannune in Tarka LGA. Another sensitization program was held at the Centre for Entrepreneurship Studies, College of Education, Katsina-Ala.
“We did another sensitization lecture with the executive members of the Nigerian Youth Council, Benue State. We also did another one at NKST Hospital Makar Gboko for people living with HIV/AIDS”, Saror stated.
He further disclosed that the command had also rehabilitated a number of people who were caught in the act of drug abuse.
“Right now, we have some of them in our facility who are undergoing rehabilitation. It is my advice that members of society should stay off illicit drugs while parents should monitor their children closely.
He commended the chairman of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd), for recruiting up to 10,000 personnel, saying that the Benue command could boast of adequate manpower compared to what it used to be in the past.
