NDLEA raids Filling Station turned ‘Indian hemp’ warehousing in Minna

The Niger State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has sealed off a filling station warehousing indian hemp for trafficking, the State Commander of the agency Mr Musa Bwalin has disclosed.

He said that the security man and some staff of the filling station have been taken into custody for further investigation after which they will be taken to court for prosecution.

Addressing Journalists at a news briefing to mark this year’s United Nations day war against drug abuse and trafficking in the command headquarters in Minna Friday, Mr Musa Bwalin explained that the command has the year under review arrested a total of 250 suspected drug dealers out of which it secured 64 convicts.

He stated that the agency has so far arrested a total of 31,675 suspected drug related offenders across the country out of which 5,147 were convicted to various jail terms within last year.

According to the state Commander, 1,2072 kilograms of the illicit drugs were recovered while another 2,272 kilograms of indian hemp were intercepted by his men in Suleja area command adding that the indian hemp was to be transported to Abuja the Federal Capital Territory.

The state commander of the agency further told journalists that the command equally recovered a total of 2,218.02 kilograms of indian hemp in Niger state through various raid on some identified black spot where the illicit substance were been consumed.

The 2023, United Nation day war against drug abuse and trafficking with the theme: ” People First. Stop stigmatization and discrimination strengthening prevention” admonished the society to stop stigmatizing drug addicts but ” bring them close to the society so as for them to have senses of belonging.

He appealed to the members of the public to desist from stigmatizing those that are into drugs explaining that the society are in the habit of looking down of those that are into taking drugs stressing that by stigmatizing them will not help “rather it will make them be more addicted to the drugs”

“Let me admonish members of the society to desist from stigmatizing those that are into drugs. By stigmatizing them you are making them to be more addicted to it.

” Don’t look down on them see them as part of the society. Bring them close to you. Give them words of advice, talk to them to know the danger of taking drugs. By so doing, they will see reason and stay away from taking drugs.” he asserted.

Speaking further, the NDLEA state commander requested the Niger governor, Hon. Mohammed Umar Bago to assist the state command of the agency with operational vehicles to enable them ride the state of sales and consumption of illicit drugs assuring that the command will continue to make the inhabitable for drug merchant

While commending traditional rulers for their unflinching support to the agency in the state, Musa Bwani insisted that his command will continue to live up to its statutory responsibility of ensuring drug free Niger state at all times.