By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
The Niger state command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has summoned the Chairman of Chanchaga local government council, Aminu Ladan for questioning.
ASHENEWS reports that the invitation followed a viral video in which Ladan was seen allegedly permitting the youth to take drugs at the council secretariat premises.
ASHENEWS recalls that Ladan was sworn in by the Niger state governor, Abubakar Sani Bello as the newly elected chairman of the Chanchaga council last week.
According to the short video, the Chairman, during a meeting with supporters shortly after his inauguration, was allegedly encouraging the youth in the local government area to do drugs.
“Chanchaga secretariat is open to every young person. If you want to take marijuana, come and do so…. As a young person, if I ask you to come in and take marijuana and you decide to do just that, you will see me, the council chairman who has a source of income doing otherwise and this will make you desist,” Ladan was heard to have said in the video.
But the state commander of the NDLEA, Barrister Haruna Kwetishe while addressing newsmen in Minna on Thursday, expressed concern over the alleged statement of the chairman.
According to Kwetishe, the agency had written to the chairman, seeking a retraction of his statement.
Kwetishe said that the chairman’s utterances could undermine the efforts being made by the NDLEA to tackle drug abuse in the state.
“We have written to the local government council chairman inviting him over a viral video clip trending on social media. Purportedly made by him advising the youths to use the local government secretariat as a smoking joint for Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as Marijuana, if they so wish,
“Therefore, the command wishes to issue a stern warning to the author of the purported video/statement that he should retract it.
“We want him to join hands with the Niger state command of the agency to fight this dangerous trend of drug abuse and illicit trafficking,” he said.
