Abuja
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu Abubakar, has charged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Law Reforms and other relevant agencies to do more towards curtailing the processing, manufacturing, selling, exporting and traficking of hard drugs in the country.
Speaking at stakeholders forum tagged Nigeria Drug Law Reform Summit with the theme: ‘Ensuring Effective and Sustainable Drug Law Reform in Nigeria through the Model Drug Law for West Africa’, calls for synergy among relevant drug law enforcement agencies.
He further tasked agencies at both private and government, on effective and efficient collaboration and partnership in the fight against drug ploriferation in the country.
Represented by a personnel in the Police Legal Department, Barr. Kahinde Oluwole, the IGP equally submitted that the fight can only be won through strengthening of relevant laws and aggressive awareness campaign on the ills of drug use as well as punishment for illegal usage.
He also stressed that relevant agencies such like NDLEA, West Africa Commission on Drugs, NACA and many others must concretize their collaboration to provide the needed legislative framework necessary to check drug abuse.
According to him; “The summit is organised to domesticate modern drug law in West Africa. We have agencies saddled with the responsibility of coordinating and investigating the use of illicit drug.
“The police are also in collaboration with them. We have narcotic officers that specialised in preventing the use of drug and distribution of it. We have recorded successful achievements in Kano, Oyo and other states.
“The appeal from the IGP is that the organisers should concretise collaboration with relevant stakeholders to ameliorate the problem of this illicit drug distribution. The Nigeria Law reforms was established to harmonize the legislation. We have enough legislation to deal with illicit drugs but the applicability of the law has always been the problem.
“Those people saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that people obey the law must form a very strong synergy to achieve the aim if not eradicate the use of the drug. The IGP is saying that the Nigeria Law Reforms saddled with the responsibility of harmonizing the legislation should wake up.
“The NDLEA established in 1985 to eliminate the growing processing, manufacturing, selling, exporting and traficking of the hard drugs should also wake up,” he charged.
Asked if the illicit drug is on the rise or decline, he said: “If we strictly observe the law we will definitely actualize our dream of having a society free of illicit drug. Yes we are making progress but we need more awareness especially the law and the punishment to deter people from indulging in the habit of consuming hard drugs.”
Sun News