The National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has suggested tougher penalties for drug trafficking by eliminating the option of fines for drug offenders in order to deter people from illegal business.
The suggestion was contained in a statement issued by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
It said its chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (Retired), represented by Director of Port Operations Omolade Faboyede, spoke on the topic of ‘Drug Abuse in Nigeria: Changing the Narrative’ during the Institute of Management’s annual dinner. of Change in Lagos
The president noted that it is concerning that some of the NDLEA officers lose their lives in the course of the battle with drug traffickers and, at the end of the day, when they are brought to court, they are fined and then return to the same business.
He added that it is a worrying trend that the NDLEA is trying to correct to toughen the punishment.
Marwa further explained that an aggressive reduction in drug supply must be undertaken, emphasizing that the drug problem in Nigeria is massive.
He said: “The 2018 National Survey on Drug Use indicated that 14.3 million Nigerians, representing 14.4 percent of the country’s population, used psychoactive substances in addition to alcohol.”
The president explained that, as chair of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Abuse, he had a clear vision of the situation and what should be done to reverse the trend.
He said there is a need to shut down the pipeline, removing traffickers and their barons from the picture, and said there is also a need to embark on an aggressive drug supply reduction campaign.
General Marwa pointed out that it is to this end that they launched the War on Drug Abuse campaign which, in the long run, is intended to help prevent the entrenchment of the culture of drug abuse among the youth of society.
NDLEA calls for tougher penalties for drug traffickers