NDLEA Seeks Stiffer Penalties For Drug Offenders

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it was seeking an amendment to the NDLEA Act, to ensure stiffer penalties for drug culprits.

Chairman of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade who stated this recently at a conference observed that one of the reasons why the drug trade had remained attractive to criminals was the light sentences passed on most drug convicts.

“The greatest impetus to committing crime is the hope of escaping punishment. We must therefore guard against it,” he said.

Giade assured the gathering that Nigeria was winning the drug war, stressing that the agency would continue to work tirelessly for a drug and crime-free society.

“We sincerely appreciate the collaborative efforts of our stakeholders, both local and foreign. On our part, we shall deepen our relatiousship with all partners, especially in the areas of exchange of information, capacity building and joint operations,” he said.

The NDLEA boss said the agency has committed much resources to the anti-narcotic campaign, adding that it recently lost two operatives to an ambush organised by a drug baron in Delta State.

In his remark at the occasion, the NDLEA Commander in Lagos State, Wesley Mikalla, described hard drug as any substance, other than food which has the capacity to alter or affect the mood, psychology, psysiology or morphology of the human body.

“They are also herbal, chemical and synthetic preparations that are intended to have health implications on users”, he added. Mikalla divided drugs into two” Licit and illicit drugs.

He explained that “licit drugs are conventional drugs administered in the process of treatment with cure in mind or for disease prevention, while illicit drugs are those that have capacity to alter mood or affect the thought process of the user.