News Investigators/ The Osun Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said it has arrested 645 persons for drug offences and secured 127 convictions.
The State Commandant, Nnadi Chidi, made this known on Thursday during his address at a workshop on Drug Abuse Prevention organised for Osun State Business Owners Association with the theme “Lounges are not safe havens for drug abuse.”
Mr Chidi said the arrests and convictions were achieved within his two years as the commandant, adding that a total of 15.8 hectares of Cannabis farms, with 39,500 tons of Cannabis Sativa were also destroyed.
He explained that drug abuse remained very prevalent in the country and that NDLEA is not relenting on its mandate as this year alone 52,901 drug suspects including 48 barons were arrested.
“The agency equally secured 9,000 convictions in three years with 7.6 million kilograms of assorted illicit substances seized,” he said.
He said that the state command has set up its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) programme where the campaign against drug abuse is taken to schools, markets, religious centers and others.
Mr Chidi said that the NDLEA understood that no individual or agency can win the war against drug abuse alone hence the collaboration with the Osun hospitality owners for a united front in the fight.
Ibrahim Chakaji, the NDLEA officer who delivered a lecture on the roles of business owners in the fight against drug/substance abuse, spoke on types of drugs and what drug abuse can cause.
Mr Chakaji said that statistics by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in 2018, showed that 14.3 million Nigerians (aged between 15 to 64 years) abused drugs and that one out of every four drug users is a female.
Similarly, Ayantunde Ayankola, who delivered a lecture on curbing drug abuse in this digital age, admonished hospitality owners to ensure they put in place a no drug use policy on their business premises.
Mr Ayankola also enlightened them on how to detect when someone is using drugs (illicit drugs) and the right steps to take.
He equally admonished them to ensure they censored their internet facility so as to prevent customers from making drug orders (online) or selling drugs in their premises.
NAN