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| Giade |
Ladies
from Akwa Ibom State are the largest number among the number of females
arrested for drug trafficking in 2014.
This
revelation was made by the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
(NDLEA), Ahmadu Giade.
The
NDLEA boss who was reacting to the involvement of females in drug trafficking
as the world marked International Women’s Day, said that the Agency would soon
launch a nationwide campaign tagged ‘Save the Girl Child from Drug Trafficking
and Abuse.’
He further noted: “The highest numbers of
females were arrested in Edo, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Anambra and Rivers State
commands. The NDLEA is paying special attention to females because of the
important role they play in the family and the society at large. The reduction
in the number of females arrested in 2014 is encouraging and we hope to improve
on this with a good number of drug abuse preventive programmes in the year.”
The
NDLEA boss added that the impressive and laudable achievements of the Agency
were made despite numerous challenges.
His
words: “Narcotic investigations are cumbersome, protracted and capital
intensive. If drug syndicates have global networks, we must be steps ahead of
them. The Agency must embark on a nationwide anti-drug enlightenment campaign
to highlight the consequences of illicit drugs especially the plight of some of
our citizens who are awaiting execution abroad for drug trafficking”.
The
NDLEA arrested 8,826 suspected
drug traffickers comprising 8,332
males and 494 females in 2014.
Illicit drugs seized stood at 166,697.18kg.
A
breakdown of the drugs is as follows, cannabis sativa is highest with 158,852.2kg. Cocaine is 226.041kg and heroin 56.449kg. Others are methamphetamine 119.2kg, amphetamine 0.05grammes, ephedrine 35.8kg and psychotropic substances 7,407.44kg.
The
Agency’s spokesman, Mitchel Ofoyeju said that in 2013, the Agency arrested
8,843 drug suspects comprising 8,324 males and 519 females.
He
said: “Total drug seized in 2013 was 339,968.11kg. The drugs include cannabis
205,373kg, psychotropic substances 134,280.38kg, cocaine 290.2kg and heroin
24.53kg. Cannabis farm land destroyed was 847.46 hectares containing
10,051,553.568kg.”
He
explained that suspected female drug traffickers apprehended in 2014 reduced by
25 as against the number arrested in 2013.
“Edo
State had the highest female arrest with 56, Akwa Ibom 48, Delta 47, Anambra 41
and Rivers 32. In 2014, the Agency recorded unprecedented cannabis farm
destruction with a total of 4,529.15 hectares of farmland representing
53,719,342.32 kilogrammes of cannabis plants,” said Ofoyeju.
The
statistics indicate a reduction in both arrests and seizures in the NDLEA
operations in 2014 as compared to 2013. Arrests reduced by 17 persons while
drugs reduced by 173,270.93kg.
According
to Giade, “Our proactive measures led to the destruction of 53.7 million
kilogrammes of cannabis in the farms. This represents an increase of 43.6
million kilogrammes over the 10 million kilogrammes destroyed at cannabis
plantations in 2013.”
On
the 2014 data table, the Sensitive Investigation Unit (SIU) made the highest
seizure of 28,063kg. This was followed by Delta State command that seized
24,052.05kg. Edo State command occupied the third position with 21,179kg. Ondo
and Oyo States had 18,908kg and 10,253kg respectively. In the area of arrests,
Katsina State led other commands with 609 suspected traffickers while Kano
followed with 503. Bauchi had 471, Lagos 434 and FCT 425.
Within
the year under review, 2,070
cases were charged to court. The NDLEA successfully convicted 2,054 drug offenders. Seven cases were
discharged and acquitted while nine cases were struck out.
Kano
State had the highest conviction with 182
followed by Kaduna with 151 and
Lagos 125. FCT and Kaduna
occupied the fourth and fifth position with 115 and 104 respectively.
In addition, the Agency successfully counseled 3,392 persons with drug abuse problems. Twelve cases were referred
to other drug treatment centers, while 131
counseling cases were on-going as at December 31, 2014.
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