National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nasarawa State Command, says it seized 7,149 kilograms of drugs between July 2023 and June 2024.
Commander of NDLEA in the state, Peter Onche-Odaudu, disclosed this at a news briefing on Thursday in Lafia.
The briefing was part of week-long activities to mark the 2024 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Onche-Odaudu said that the arduous task of checking the menace of drug abuse and illicit trafficking, in spite of the daunting challenges of logistics and paucity of funds, had resulted in the modest achievements.
He said that cannabis sativa accounted for 7,037.2 kg of the seizures; cocaine, 0.011 kg, methamphetamine, 0.185 kg, while sundry psychotropic substances accounted for 111.534 kg.
The commander said that United Nations had set aside June 26 of every year for the commemoration of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking by member nations.
He stated that that the theme for this year’s Day: “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention”, was apt, as it emphasised the importance of prevention over cure in issues of drug abuse.
Onche-Odaudu said that a couple of activities had been lined up by his command to commemorate this year’s day.
These, he said, would include: an advocacy walk, starting from Lafia square and ending at Lafia Stadium, with the grand finale holding on June 26 at the Conference Room of the Federal Secretariat, Lafia.
The commander further stated that the command would take anti-drug sensitisation campaign to GSM Village, Lafia and Lafia Custodial Centre on Monday and Tuesday.
He thanked Gov. Abdullahi Sule for his support to the command toward the drug war in the state.
The commander also appreciated the support of journalists, sister security agencies and stakeholders in the war against drug abuse in the state.