NDLEA Begins Drug-Free Campaign

The Eket Area Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) last Thursday commenced  drug-free counselling programmes for communities in Southern Akwa Ibom State.

In his address of welcome, Alhaji Toyin Ajanaku, NDLEA Area Commander in Eket
zone, said that reducing the menace of drugs in the society was crucial to
crime control as drugs and crime were interconnected.

Ajanaku
said that research had proved that most violent crimes were committed under the
influence of illicit drug, which often led to loss of lives and property.

He
said that the role of the NDLEA as drug controlling agency would be more
effective with collaboration of various segments of the society and other
security agencies.

The
Eket Area command of the agency, said,
this when was collaborating with Mobil Producing Nigeria in the drug
free campaign within the company’s operational area in Southern Akwa Ibom.

Also
speaking at the occasion, acting State Commander of NDLEA, Mr. Alfred Adewumi
said that the agency was committed to assisting drug users to quit the habit,
as well as waging war on drug dealers.

“We
see drug addicts and users as sick people and we counsel, rehabilitate and
reintegrate drug dependent people back to the society and we have a drug demand
reduction strategy, which is what we are doing with the counselling clinic.

“Another
approach is drug supply reduction strategy, which is aimed at removing the
drugs at the end of the dealers, and we have been vigorously pursuing that and
we have been prosecuting and sending them to prison,” Adewumi said.

In
a lecture at the occasion, a Principal Officer at Drug Demand Regulating Unit
of NDLEA, Mr Ajayo Ome, said that the influence of drugs on the society
hampered productivity and economic development.

He
called on opinion leaders in the communities to assist the NDLEA to propagate
the message to their subjects at the grassroots level.