The Commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Osun State Command, Nnadi Chidi, has disclosed that it arrested 252 suspects and seized 1,909.6920kg of illicit drugs between January and December 2023.
This was made known in a statement by the Command Public Affairs Officer, Charles Odigie, on Saturday.
The statement revealed that 214 males and 38 females, totalling 252, were arrested within the period.
The Command noted that in the period under review, it was able to secure the convictions of 57 accused persons who were sentenced to various jail terms ranging from three months to five years imprisonment with 47 cases pending.
The statement read, “within the same period, the drug supply reduction efforts led to the discovery and destruction of 9.5 hectares of Cannabis Farms (23.759 tones) of cannabis sativa at Ifedayo and Oriade local government areas.
“Balancing supply and demand reductions, the Command equally embarked on War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy on substance abuse suppression in the state. The Agency had a brief counseling intervention of 79 People Who Use Drug (PWUD) and also embarked on awareness/sensitization programmes in religious houses, schools, motor parks, markets and workplaces etc.”
The Command debunked the reports claiming that Osun State is the second highest cannabis producing state in the South West, noting that though there was a slight increase in the use of ‘loud’ and other cannabis strains in the state, empirically and going by the National Bureau of Statistics 2018 report, the state remained 5th in the prevalence of drug use and cultivation in the region.
He thanked the NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (rtd), and the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke for their unalloyed cooperation and determined stance to rid the state and Nigeria of substance abuse.
Chidi assured people of the state of the agency’s commitment to maki g Osun uncomfortable for cannabis cultivators and dealers, urging those peddling such narcotics to desist.
