News Investigators/ The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nasarawa State Command, has sought the support of the state government to establish a rehabilitation centre for drugs and alcohol abusers in Lafia.
The state Commander of the agency, Saidu Daniel, made the appeal on Tuesday during a familiarisation visit to Gov. Abdullahi Sule in Lafia.
Mr Daniel commended the governor for allocating land to the agency in Azuba for the destruction of exhibits and seized drugs, describing the state government as a strategic partner in the fight against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
The commander said the command had recorded significant breakthroughs in drug control operations since his assumption of office in the state.
He disclosed that the agency had recently discovered and destroyed cannabis farms measuring about 1.5 hectares each in Awe and Kokona Local Government Areas.
“It is important because, for some time now, we have not come across such kinds of exhibits.
“We discovered farms measuring about 1.5 hectares in Awe and Kokona. We have destroyed them because we cannot allow the owners to harvest the cannabis. If they harvest it, it will enter the market,” he said.
Mr Daniel stressed the need for sustained public sensitisation on the dangers of drug abuse, particularly among young people, and called for the establishment of a rehabilitation centre in Lafia.
He explained that the centre would enable the agency to provide rehabilitation services within the state and improve access to support for people struggling with drug and alcohol abuse.
Responding, Sule assured the NDLEA of the state government’s support for public awareness campaigns against drug abuse and efforts to establish the proposed rehabilitation centre.
The governor noted that children could be influenced by their peers to engage in harmful activities, including drug abuse, both in schools and social settings.
“You never can tell; children get involved with other children and do a lot of things.
“Sometimes they do them in schools, sometimes they do them with friends. So, if you are going to engage in some kind of protection and awareness to protect our children, you have our support,” he said.
Sule commended the commander for the initiative and pledged the state government’s partnership with the agency to ensure its success, including the establishment of the rehabilitation centre.
He urged Daniel to prepare a detailed proposal for the centre and submit it to the state government for consideration.
On the discovery of the cannabis farms, Sule observed that the vast stretches of ungoverned land in some parts of the state made it possible for people to cultivate cannabis in remote locations.
He, therefore, urged the NDLEA to intensify efforts to identify and destroy more illegal cannabis farms to prevent the cultivation and distribution of illicit drugs in the state.
NAN
