The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has demanded harsher punishment for drug traffickers.
The agency’s Chairman, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (retd.), who made the call on Monday during the Institute of Change Management’s annual dinner in Lagos State, also demanded the removal of the option of fines for drug offenders.
Marwa, who was represented by the NDLEA Director, Seaport Operation, Omolade Faboyede, spoke on the theme, ‘Drug abuse in Nigeria: Changing the narrative.’
He was quoted as saying; “It is worrisome that we have some of our officers lose their lives in the course of battling with drug traffickers. But at the end of the day, some of these offenders when taken to court, are just fined and they later return to the same business.
“This is a worrisome trend that we are trying to correct in other to make the punishment stiffer.”
Marwa further stated that the drug problem in Nigeria is huge, and that an aggressive reduction in drug supply should commence.
“The National Drug Use Survey 2018 indicated that 14.3 million Nigerians representing 14.4 per cent of the country’s population used psychoactive substances aside from alcohol.
“As chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse, I had a clear view of the situation and what should be done to reverse the trend.
“Basically, we have to shut down the pipeline. That is, take the traffickers and their barons out of the picture. We have to embark on an aggressive drug supply reduction campaign.
“It is to this end that we launched the War Against Drug Abuse campaign which is meant to, in the long run, help prevent the entrenchment of drug abuse culture among young people in the society,” he added.
