By Frank Kintum
The Apapa Special Area Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has kick started a week long activities in commemoration of the 2022 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking.
Area Commander of the Command, Mr. Ameh Analegwu, while briefing journalists in Lagos yesterday, explained that “theme for this year’s commemoration “Addressing Drug Challenges in Health and Humanitarian Crises” is not only as topical as it is thought provoking but consistent with the spirit and letter of the War against Drug Abuse (WADA) which is the theoretical framework of the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.) OFR.
“The theme urges us to critically interrogate the mechanisms for mitigating the availability, accessibility and affordability of drugs if we must guaranty sound health and favourable human conditions in our communities. Available records show that drug use account for most of the health problems while it aggravates conflicts, crime and criminalities and problems of insecurity, generally”.
The Commander expressed delight that the Apapa Port Command has seized the initiative to embark on some activities that will increase awareness and knowledge of the potential health, social and legal consequences of illicit drug use and provide accurate information on illicit drug habituation.
These activities, he stated, will be carried out within the Port and the host communities of Apapa, Ijora and Amuwo-Odofin where the maritime operations are concentrated.
He revealed that “working in alignment with the initiative of the National Headquarters of the Agency, this Command will in the next seven days be reaching out to all categories within the aforementioned communities. Starting with this Press Briefing, there will be a Walk against Drugs through the streets of Apapa on Tuesday June 21, 2022.
“A group of parents will be gathered at the Apapa Local Government Secretariat for an anti-drug sensitization on Wednesday June 22, 2022. This will be followed up on Thursday June 23, 2022 with a Student Forum/Symposium, an in-gathering of students from various schools to be mentored by an internationally recognized Drug Prevention Expert.
“In deference to the faith based approach, all the worship centres within the communities are being urged to devout their sermons to the consequences of drug use and illicit drug trafficking in the Juma’at and church services on Friday and Sunday within the week. These activities will be crowned with a Grand Finale/Town Hall meeting which will bring in all stakeholders within the communities in order to chisel out workable mechanisms to keep drug merchants at bay and prevent drug use among the populace”.
He also revealed that “Only last week, the Command in collaboration with Nigeria Customs Service recorded drug seizures worth more than Six Billion Naira (N6B) which included 1,518kgs of Tafrodol brand of Tramadol (120grms) and Tramadol (225mg &250mg) weighing 3,553 kilograms.
“This is in addition to the seizures of 14, 0800 kilograms of Cough Syrup with Codeine in January and another 40.25 Kilograms of the same Cough syrup with Codeine in February and 12 kilograms of another Cough Syrup with Codeine in March.
“The Area Command also recovered 350 grams of Cocaine and 150 grams of Heroin in March 2022. In summary, the Command recorded a total seizure of 19,703.25kg of assorted illicit drugs between January and June 2022”.
