The National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Ekiti State said it had seized 87.88 grammes of cocaine in the state.
The Ekiti NDLEA commander, Gaura Shadow, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday that the seizure was the largest quantity in the history of the state.
He said the command had been battling with fighting Indian hemp cultivation, but that in recent time seizing such amount of quantity of cocaine was “worrisome.”
Speaking on the celebration of the 2021 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the NDLEA commander decried the alarming rate of drug abuse in society.
He said the cultivation of Indian hemp, also known as Cannabis sativa, has always topped the list in Ekiti since 2004.
He, however, said the recent seizure of large numbers of cocaine in the state had become a thing of concern to the command.
Mr Shedow added that the command between July 2020 and May 2021 seized a total of 1,605.33 kilogrammes of illicit drugs in Ekiti.
“Within this period under review, we seized 1,516.3kg of Cannabis; Cocaine – 87.88 grammes; and Heroine – 1.1 grammes.
“It is worrisome that we recently seized 87.88 grammes of Cocaine, the largest number in the history of Ekiti.
Also, 29 suspects were arrested, 27 males and 2 females, and we secured two convictions at the Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti.
“We carried out 25 sensitisation programmes at schools, communities and motor parks as well as five Drug-Free Clubs in secondary and tertiary institutions,” he said.
He called on parents to assist the agency with the necessary information of the wards in the fight against drug abuse in the country and Ekiti in particular.
NAN reports that the 2021 United Nations fight against drug abuse with the theme, “Share Facts on Drugs, Save Live” was aimed at combating the misinformation and sharing of facts on the danger of drug abuse.
Mr Shedow, however, restated the commitment of the officers and men of the agency to combating illicit drugs and trafficking.
(NAN)
