Business Post Contributor
By Bliss Okperan
No fewer than 134 persons were apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja in the third quarter of 2023.
The FCT Command of the agency disclosed that the suspects, comprising 128 males and six females, were picked between July and September of this year.
It further stated that during the period under review, 3,988.74 kilograms of assorted drugs worth N80 million were confiscated by the NDLEA.
The FCT commander of Narcotics, Kabir Tsakuwa, made the information available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
He said, “134 suspected drug users and traffickers were arrested in the third quarter of which 128 are males and six are females.
“The total street value of drugs seized within the same period is about Eighty Million Naira (N80m).
“One hundred and four (104) suspects were prosecuted, out of which 27 were convicted.”
Commander Tsakuwa added that 134 suspected drug traffickers, peddlers and abusers were also arrested in the same period.
He said that the major drug seized by the Operatives of the NDLEA was cannabis sativa, adding that many suspects were prosecuted and convicted in the same period.
Commander Tsakuwa further said that, “Cannabis sativa seized within the same period is 3,861.789kg while cocaine intercepted was 0.038Kg.”
In addition, he spoke on what the command has been doing to ensure the reduction of usage and trafficking of illegal drugs in the FCT, he said that the command had a balanced approach to drug control strategy.
“Under the preventive strategy, we have a sustainable intensive sensitisation and public enlightenment programme using the platform of War Against Drug Abuse.”
