NDLEA Arrests 41 Drug Suspects, Secures 7 Convictions Within 2 Months In Benue

From Attah Ede, Makurdi

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA), Benue State Command on Wednesday said, it has arrested 41 suspected drug offenders and secured seven convictions between March to April 2024 in the State.

The command also seized 0.187kg of psychotic substances(tramadol), 0.055 kg of Glutathione and 16 litres of monkey tails and carried out 24 sensitization programmes referred to WADA- War Against Drugs Abuse at different locations in the State.The NDLEA State Command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Philimon Saror who disclosed this to newsmen at the command’s headquarters in Makurdi, Wednesday, lamented that the demand for illicit drug consumption in the State is still very high, hence the sensitization lectures.

According to him, the increase in demand for illicit substances in the State was as a result of younger ones joining the queue of drug consumption everyday, assuring that, the command will not relent on its duty but continue to do their very best to suppress the situation to a very minimal level.

Giving the break down of arrests and seizure in the period under review, Mr. Saror explained that, in the Month of March 2024, the command arrested five male and one female suspects, totally six in numbers, with a seizure of 0.187kg of tramadol while two convictions were secured.

“We did sensitization programme in Mbayior Secondary School Gboko, did another with the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards and BENSACA as well as Katsina-Ala LGC secretariat for the staff. Some of the sensitization programmes were done in Wadata, North bank area of Makurdi and Otukpo within the Month of March.

“All these sensitization lectures involved youth corps members and officers that worked with drugs demand reduction. They are the ones that goes out for these sensitization programmes.

“For the month of April 2024, we have seizure in this manner; 31 males, four females, totally 35. We also seized 0.055 kg of Glutathione and 16 litres of monkey tails.

“We have five convictions, filed another seven new cases. Under the Drugs Demand Reduction(DDR), we have 13 interventions, those arrested and counseled by the DDR officers and released.

“We carried out other activities at Dangote group of companies and NYSC orientation camp, Wannune in Tarka LGA. Another sensitization programme was held at the centre for entrepreneurship studies,College of Education Katsina-Ala.

“We did another sensitization lecture with the executive members of the Nigerian Youth Council, Benue State. We also did another one at NKST Hospital Makar Gboko for people living with HIV/AIDS”, Saror stated.

He further disclosed that the command has also rehabilitated quite number of people who were caught in the act of drug abuse.

“Right now, we have some of them in our facility who are undergoing rehabilitation. It is my advice that members of the society should stay off illicit drug while parents should monitor their children closely.

“I know that it is not easy to monitor kids these days, more also that many families are also hungry. While they are out there looking for what eat, the children are out there doing what they knows how to do best. At the end of the day, parents don’t bothered what their children do outside.

“Therefore, my candid advice is that people should stay off drugs, whether you are taking it or selling it because one day the law would catch up with you” he stated.

He commended the chairman of NLDEA Brigadier General Buba Marwa(retd) for recruiting up to 10,000 personnel, saying the Benue command can now boost of adequate manpower compare to what it used to be in the past.