Bauchi NDLEA seizes 4,465kgs cannabis, illicit drugs

A total of 4,465kgs of cannabis substances and other banned drugs have been seized by the Bauchi State Command of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) just as a total of 484 suspected drug traffickers were also arrested for various drug-related offences by the Agency.

The disclosure was made by the State Commander of the Agency, Mr Segun Oke during a press conference held at the Agency’s Headquarters in Bauchi to mark the 2019 United Nation’s Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drugs Trafficking.

Segun Oke who said that the seizures were made between June 2018 and June 2019, gave the breakdown of the seizures as Cannabis – 2, 035kgs, psychotropic substances – 1, 290kgs and other illicit drugs – 722kgs.

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He said that the successes recorded by the NDLEA within the last year were as a result of the synergy between the Agency and other sister security agencies in the state saying that: “As a Command, we reached out to people in terms of public awareness. We also went about searching to see the level of response”.

Segun Oke added that “We regularly go to places of gathering where you can find people, churches, mosques, motor parks, schools, to synergise and bring awareness. During the year under review, we undertook activities mostly preventive through awareness creation, and corrective measures such as search, arrest, seizure, and in some cases prosecution to curb drugs menace in the society”.

On the plans for the next year, the NDLEA Boss said that the Agency will also embark on staff development programmes with a view to sharpen and prepare the officers for the tasks that will arise as a result of the deployment to operational offices.

“The agency will engage stakeholders, law enforcement agents like the Police, DSS, Military, media, etc quarterly and across the three zones. These agencies have their specific roles, but we need to expose them to some of the things we do that they may find in the course of their specific roles as a support to us,” he said.

Segun Oke revealed that his command has 9 other operating commands across the 20LGAs of the state against porous points bordering the neighbouring states of Plateau, Gombe, Kano, Jigawa and Kaduna to tight-up entry into Bauchi.

According to him, “When you talk about drugs, the most sensitive thing is supply, that is to make sure that those drugs are sufficiently prevented from coming in, so our deployment is conscious of these borderlines”, he said.

He, therefore, called for cooperation from all stakeholders, in the fight against drugs abuse and illicit drugs trafficking, especially the press to be able to reach to the general public.