Posted by By Eugene Agha on
No fewer than eight suspected drug dealers, including a female secondary school teacher, were paraded yesterday by the Lagos State Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Abiodun Adesola.
No fewer than eight suspected drug dealers, including a female secondary school teacher, were paraded yesterday by the Lagos State Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Abiodun Adesola.
Addressing reporters, Adesola said some of the suspected were arrested from various Indian Hemp smoking joints in the state, while others were arrested while attempting to smuggle the substance into the state with most of them through information received from members of the public.
"All the suspects along with their exhibits will soon be charged to court," Adesola said.
He expressed fear of an alleged increase in the population of those who engage in the sale of illicit drugs in the state.
According to him, going by available records for the year 2004, 186 persons were arrested during various operations carried out throughout the state.
"This when compared to the figure of the preceding year, during which a total of 123 suspects were arrested, it shows an increase of 63 in 2004," he said.
He said as a matter of fact, 4935.6 kilogrammes of illicit drugs were confiscated from arrested drug dealers in 2004, against the 1,860 kilogrammes of same illicit drugs that were seized in 2003.
Adesola said during the operations, those who were found to be drug users only were rehabilitated and later allowed to join members of their families after they have been counselled.
This, he added, was in line with the understanding that these categories of persons that abuse drug have what may be referred to as health problem.
"Instead of being treated as drug criminals, NDLEA chairman, Alhaji Belo Lafiaji, mandated us to tow the line of the United Nations which requires that this category of persons be helped," he said.
He encouraged parents to pay adequate concern to the well-being of their wards, adding that some of the users are products of broken homes.