National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has inaugurated special squads to curb open sales and consumption of illicit drugs in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The commander of Narcotics (CN), NDLEA, FCT Command, Mr Kabiru Tsakuba, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja.
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Tsakuwa said the approach would be through dislodgement of notorious drug joints, arrest of drug dealers, seizure of drugs and prosecution of offenders.
He said FCT was unique because it has an international airport where some flights come directly from drug source countries and others from East African countries where hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, could be accessed.
According to him, some may find their way into the town, in spite of the interdiction efforts of the NDLEA officers at the airport.
“The FCT, by its nature, has high-income localities interspersed with low income slums where drug peddlers can take advantage to deal in drugs.
“There are individuals that can afford to buy any kind of drug of their choice without having to bother in any way.
“These, among many reasons, therefore, create veritable opportunities for drug peddlers, like in other cities of the world, to trade in these criminal substances.
“Having said this, it is important to note that the command has been trying its best to ensure a drug-free environment in the FCT,” Tsakuwa said.
He also pointed out that the NDLEA has been engaged in combating the open sales of illicit drugs through two major approaches: “Drug Supply Reduction” and “Drug Demand Reduction”.
The narcotics commander said that NDLEA created these special squads to deal with actionable intelligence, as it comes in, with a view to curbing illicit drug activities through the the dislodgement of notorious drug joints, the arrest of dealers, the seizure of drugs, and the prosecution of offenders.