30th August, 2021
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) on Monday disclosed that over N100 billion worth of illicit drugs have been seized in Nigeria.
He said over 2,776,000 kilograms of drugs had been seized, while 8, 634 people have so far been arrested in connection with the seized drugs.
Marwa disclosed this when he led top officials of the Agency on a courtesy visit to Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje on his ongoing War Against Drug Abuse, WADA.
He also disclosed that 1,630 convictions had been made; 3,232 cases in court and over 4,000 drug users counselled and rehabilitated between January and now.
“We are already making substantial progress in our drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts. We are however convinced that the ongoing attempts by some of our elected officials to legalise cannabis which is being abused by over 10.6 million Nigerians will be a draw back for the achievements so far.
“This is why I want to implore Your Excellency and Kano state not to support the attempt to legalise cannabis”, Gen. Marwa stated.
He urged the governor not to support any bid to legalise cannabis sativa by some elected officials in the country,saying that the NDLEA was currently doing so much to cut availability and accessibility to illicit drugs across the Nigeria, adding that any attempt to legalise the illicit substance would be a setback to the progress made so far.
Marwa warned landlords to ensure that they did not accommodate drug traffickers in their houses because NDLEA would not hesitate to seek forfeiture of any property used to store illicit drugs when the offenders are caught.
He commended the governor for making drug test a prerequisite for public officials and those aspiring into public office in the state.
He urged the governor to support NDLEA with 25 hectatres of land to build barracks in the state and a property that would house a zonal command office of the Agency in Kano.
Speaking, Ganduje declared his opposition to any attempt to legalise cannabis sativa in the country.
He vowed that no lawmaker from the state would support such bid in the National Assembly.
Ganduje said Marwa is very important to Kano and Nigeria because of the significance of his current assignment, which was equally key to winning the battle against insecurity in the country.
While granting the requests for land and accommodation for a zonal command, the governor assured his guest that beside the stand of Kano State Government against drug abuse and trafficking, the predominant religion in the state, Islam is against the twin evils of drug abuse and trafficking.
He said Kano has the highest number of federal lawmakers in the National Assembly, adding that none of them would support any attempt to legalise cannabis.