By Fatima Zahra Mohammed
ASHENEWS reports that the Niger state command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Saturday said it made 137 arrests of suspects, and secured 80 convictions at the Federal High Court in 2022.
This online platform further reports that the command emerged the best in reducing the demand for drugs in the past year.
The Commander of the NDLEA, Haruna Kwetishe who disclosed this while briefing journalists in Minna on Saturday, said the suspects were arrested in various parts of the state.
“For the year 2022, NDLEA Niger Command made a total arrests of 137 suspects, among them are 135 males and two females,” he said.
Kwetishe said that about 21 tonnes of psychotropic substances were seized, and destroyed to reduce the circulation of such drugs in the state.
“These drugs include 5,656.3 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa and 15.87 liters of codeine among other substances.
“This has helped the command to remove these drugs from circulation, and by destroying them, it means that the illicit drugs can never go back to society again,” he stated.
The state commander further said that it facilitated the rehabilitation of 275 drug users in the state.
He also disclosed that the state command was recognised as the best in reducing the demand for drugs in the past year.
To step up on its earlier efforts, Kwetishe added that the command recently obtained a court order to destroy five tonnes of illicit drugs, the event, which will soon be announced to the public.