Anti-narcotics Agency To Establish Offices Nationwide

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it will establish offices in all 774 local government areas in the country.

The Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Rtd Brigadier General Buba Marwa, disclosed this in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, North Central Nigeria while speaking as the special guest of honour at the presentation of two books written by the Commander of the NDLEA, Kwara Command, Mohammed Ibrahim.

According to him, this will be part of measures to tackle the problem of drug abuse at the grassroots level.

The NDLEA’s boss called on state governments to provide lands for the establishment of the agency’s barracks across the country.

He also requested that they assist the agency in the provision of operational vehicles to enhance its fight against illicit drugs and substances at the various commands.

While commending the author of the books titled “Look Before You Leap” and “Drug Slaves, Marwa said, “The books will provide the youths with information about how to guard themselves against drug abuse while those who have fallen victims can be treated and cured. ”

The NDLEA boss, who was represented by the Director of Internal Affairs and Provost Marshall in the agency, Dr Malami Sokoto, enjoined traditional rulers to join hands with the agency in tackling the menace of drug abuse at the grassroots.

In his keynote address, the Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Comrade Isa Aremu, advocated a stiffer penalty for drug barons in society.

He said his institute was ready to partner with the NDLEA to expand its curriculum to mainstream the campaign against drug abuse, even at work.

The book reviewer, Prof. AbdulRasheed Adeoye of the Department of Performing Arts, University of Ilorin, said the two books were written in simple languages that conveyed the cultural, political and economic impacts of drug abuse.

Earlier, the Chairman of the the Vintage Book Presentation Committee, Alhaji Tunde Akanbi, said the presentation of the books, which were also translated into Hausa and Yoruba languages, climaxed the intellectual voyage embarked upon by the author to compliment his agency’s efforts in ensuring a drug-free society.

The state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who was represented at the occasion by the state commissioner for water resources, Usman Lade, unveiled the books, while the founder of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Alhaji AbdulRaheem Oladimeji, launched the books with the highest donation.