NDLEA seizes cannabis sativa worth N30m in Nasarawa

.As Commander links drug abuse to crime

Nasarawa State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has seized 1,659 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa worth N30 million in the state.

State Commander of NDLEA, Peter Odaudu, made the disclosure to newsmen on Wednesday in Lafia.

According to the Commander, officers and men of the Akwanga Area Command on patrol on  Tuesday, Aug. 9,  intercepted a J5 Boxer vehicle with registration number KTG 71 XC at about 10.24 a.m., travelling from Ogere in Ogun State to Bauchi, Bauchi State.

He said that upon sighting operatives from afar, the driver and another occupant of the vehicle disembarked and ran away.

Odaudu said that the operatives, being suspicious of the vehicle loaded with goods left unattended, lay ambush and arrested the driver when he came and attempted to drive off the vehicle.

He said that upon search, the operatives discovered 1,556 compressed bread-like parcel of Cannabis Sativa, which weighed 1,659 kilograms, concealed behind pineapple fruits loaded in the vehicle.

The commander said the seizure was unparalleled in the history of the agency in the state and recalled that it was coming on the heels of two similar massive drug seizures recorded in the month of July.

He explained that on July 6, the Command seized 367.6 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa and arrested two suspects around the Emir’s palace in Lafia, and on July 9, another 1,029.5 kilograms were seized on Doma Road, concealed in a truck conveying natural gas from Edo State.

Odaudu said all the suspects would be prosecuted at the end of investigation.

He restated the commitment of the NDLEA to tackle the menace of illicit drugs from the state and the country.

Meanwhile, the driver of the J5 vehicle confessed to the crime and said he was conveying the consignment for his boss who resides in Bauchi.

Meanwhile, The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says there is a direct link between drug abuse, crime and terrorism.

NDLEA’s State Commander, Plateau, Mustapha Yahuza, made the remark while receiving the staff of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) Plateau office on advocacy visit in Jos.

The advocacy visit was on the increase in the recruitment of child soldiers in the North-East and other parts of the country, he said.

Yahuza stated that researches had shown that most crimes were committed under the influence of illicit drugs, as they served as an enabler.

The commander said that the NDLEA’s fight against drug abuse was also a means of fighting crime and terrorism.

According to him, most drug users are more prone to being recruited as terrorists or being involved in other nefarious crimes.

He described the issue of illicit drug abuse as a problem in the country.

Yahuza said that from November 2021 till date, the agency had seized over 200,000 tonnes of illicit drugs, and made over 400 arrests in the state.

He assured the NOA of working in synergy to curb drug abuse, which usually translates to crime.

Earlier, the State’s Director of NOA, Mrs Keneng Pam-Hworo, said that the visit was meant to collaborate with the NDLEA to curtail  the recruitment of child soldiers particularly in the North-East of Nigeria