The Akwa Ibom Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) reports that 35 of the 353 drug suspects apprehended in the last five months have been convicted.
Mrs Obot Bassey, the state NDLEA Commander, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Uyo.
According to Bassey, the 353 suspects included 307 men and 46 women.
She stated that, in addition to the 35 convictions obtained, several cases were still pending and were being prosecuted at various stages in court.
During the period, a total of 602.307kg of drugs were seized, including Cannabis sativa, Cocaine, Heroin, and other psychotropic substances, according to the commander.
She believes that efforts should be prioritized to raise awareness about the devastating effects of drug abuse and illicit trafficking on youths and society.
“Between July and today, the NDLEA Akwa Ibom command made a lot of arrests and seizures, and we have 602.307kg of hard drugs and psychotropic substances in our kitty.” We also seized N600,000 in counterfeit money and turned it over to the EFCC.
“We also handed over a hundred rounds of live ammunition to the police and arrested 353 suspects, 307 males and 46 females,” Bassey said.
In addition to arrests and seizures during the period, the commander stated that the command rehabilitated 11 drug addicts to help them return to normal lives.
She revealed that a new drug, crystal meth (short for crystal methamphetamine), had been discovered in the state.
“It’s interesting to learn that crystal meth is found in Akwa Ibom; we seized.54kg of crystal meth.”
“Crystal meth is one of the most dangerous types of hard drugs to become addicted to because it affects the central nervous system.”
“It is very difficult to rehabilitate; one can be rehabilitated, but it is difficult.” It destroys a person, and most of the time, it is difficult for such a person to return to his original state once addicted,” she explained.
She stated that the command would keep educating youths about drug abuse and trafficking at the top of its priority list.
The commander urged the state government, philanthropists, and all individuals to work with the NDLEA to reduce drug abuse and trafficking in the state to a bare minimum.
“As a result, I’d like to urge the Governor, Her Excellency, Commissioners, philanthropists, institutions, and organizations to work together to reduce drug abuse and trafficking to a bare minimum.”
“As a result, we no longer have junkies in our state, but rather people with notable qualities in our society.”
“We have what are known as drug test kits. If someone is using drugs, all we need is for you to give us your urine in a container, and the result will come out within seconds, revealing what type of drugs are being abused,” she explained.
The commander urged all Akwa Ibom residents to abstain from drugs in order to maintain optimal health, safety, and security for long-term socioeconomic development and general well-being.