NAN-H-49
Drugs
Blessing Odega
Jos, May 10, 2017 (NAN) Governor Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa State on Wednesday said that the state was among the top three battling with the menace of substance abuse and drug-related offences in Nigeria.
Al-makura, who was represented by his Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mallam Abdulhamid Yakubu, spoke during the NDLEA 2017 Bi-Annual Command Officers’ Conference in Jos.
“In 2016, 46 persons were arrested for various drug-related offences by NDLEA, while 2,500 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa and 53 pinches of cocaine were seized in the state.
“This year, the command has arrested 51 persons for various drug offences and successfully secured the conviction of 15 persons,” he said.
He attributed the rise in drug abuse and drug-related offences to peer pressure, depression and unemployment.
The governor explained that government had embarked on skills acquisition programmes in a bid to address the various factors responsible for the vices, and expressed optimism that they would be reduced if the youths were engaged in positive ventures.
Al-makura decried the dearth of resident clinical psychologists and other experts which had affected rehabilitation and counseling of drug users and abusers at the state’s NDLEA rehabilitation centre.
He commended the NDLEA for being proactive in the fight against the use of illicit drugs and drug trafficking, and promised government’s continued support in that regard.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Plateau Deputy Sonni Tyoden was among guests at the opening ceremony. (NAN)
UBO/ORO/ETS
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Edited by Razak Owolabi and Ephraims Sheyin