The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is taking the war on drugs and other illicit substances to the hinter land of Kebbi where it is making life miserable for those behind it, YAHYA SARKI, reports.
An obviously worrisome trend is rearing its ugly head in Kebbi state where drug barons and other syndicates are turning the state to a transit for illicit drugs and other substances.
Indeed, it is increasingly becoming obvious that drug syndicates and barons are now turning Kebbi into both transit and dumping point for sell and distribution of narcotic and other psychotropic substances and Indian hemp.
Finding revealed that the barons use the state as transit point for ferrying the substance which has unfortunately become lucrative source of illicit wealth to neighboring countries such as Niger and Benin republics through border towns and commercial areas such as Jega, largely also due to increase in drug users amongst youths women inclusive .
Reports from NDLEA in the state indicated that Kebbi state, just like other big states of Kano and Kaduna, is gradually becoming a safe haven for drug peddling even as youths are increasingly being cut in the web of drug and substance abuse. Lamentably, the sale of these substances is done with reckless abandon.
Perhaps to nip the menace in the bud and importantly, justify its mandate and existence in the state, the NDLEA is taking the war against these substance abuse to those behind it. As at the last count, the agency has successfully nabbed numerous of such drugs syndicates and confiscated their illicit drugs.
Although the statistics of arrest and confiscation could not be readily made available to our correspondent, unconfirmed report indicated that so many of those engaged in the act have been nabbed even as the raid on their hide out is being sustained by the Agency.
Alarming involvement of youths, women
As far as the war on drug is concerned, the scenario in Kebbi state is more alarming because there is alleged involvement of women including married women apart from youths, who are said to be deeply engaged in the act.
Recently, four women were arrested in the state for either use or sell of the narcotic drugs to their fellow women. The culprits were said to be operating from house to house in reaching to their clients whom were mostly married women.
Another scenario is the reported use and abuse of the substance by young girls who often go out on parties with their boyfriends during ceremonies.
A teenager who claimed to be a repentant drug addict said they had a sign which they often use in realizing a potential buyer or seller insisting that most times, except one is very carefully, the trade in the illicit drug could take place right in his or her front without him or her knowing.
“When I use to smoke Indian hemp, we have a group that includes school boys and girls, even some married women use to join us and we take it without any worry” the teenager whose name is not revealed, said.
Already, there are reports indicating that an unspecified number of teenagers cutting across both sex, are currently engaged in either selling or taking different substances including Indian hemp, codeine, tutolin, pacaline and other hard drugs in different parts of the state.
Sadly enough, even remote villages appears not spared of this bug as culprits are said to be residing in some of the hinterland for which the national drug law enforcement agency is taking the war to them.
NDLEA making appreciable success in the war against drug
But the state office of NDLEA is not living anything to chance as it is, on daily basis, making surveillance and routine checks on major roads as well as nooks and crannies of the state to rid the state from the menace of the syndicates and users who are hell bend of getting the drugs at any cost.
Apart from the fight against drugs use and sell, the agency is also embarking on the rehabilitation of victims of drug use / addiction referred to as client at the two rehabilitation centers of the agency in Birnin Kebbi and Zuru.
The fight by NDLEA agents against the drug syndicate who want to turn the state as a dumping and transit point to other areas even to neighbouring countries like Niger and Benin Republic has yielded positive results.
As at the last count, the Agency said it has confisticated36 Vehicles, 8 Tons of Illicit Drugs and arrest of 102 suspects.
Addressing newsmen, state commandant of the Agency,Alhaji Bamaiyisaid most of the arrest were made through borders with two African countries of Benin and Niger Republics.
Bamaiyi said some quantities of drugs were also recovered on transit from Ogun and Oyo states through Yauri – Jega road by his men during routine inspection noting that the command also seized 794kgs of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) last year.
It appears the war is yielding more fruits as the Agency declared that in the second week of February, it arrested five suspects with illegal psychotropic substances weighing 2.035 tones.
According the agency, the narcotic drugs that were brought to the state were deposited at Jega local government area, some 43 kilometers away from the state capital, Birnin Kebbi, in one warehouse getting ready for distribution around the state up to far away neighboring Niger republic.
Alhaji Bamaiyi said the suspects were arrested in Jega town behind oceanic bank at a warehouse while offloading the illegal drugs from a vehicle.
The 5 persons arrested are Adamu Umar (25) from Borno State,NasiruAbubakar (28) also from state,Sani Musa (32), SalisuAbubakar (38),Basiru Suleiman (38) all from Augie local government area of Kebbi State.
‘’We arrested these 5 suspects with 2.035 tons of psychotropic substance consisting of Ceagradol taps 920 Kgs ,Tramadol 836kgs and KarfiZaki 240kgs all total 1996 in kilograms’’
He explained that the drugs seized by his men are worth over 9 million naira in cash and were meant to be circulated by the suspects and their cohorts within the state and to the neighbouring countries like Niger where the market of narcotic drugs is also booming.
The NDLEA boss reaffirmed thatTotulin and Codine were part of the substances banned because the drugs are being abused by their users
“These assorted drugs are banned, all sorts of drugs, psycho drugs are controlled, seriously controlled whoever is arrested will face the full wrath of the law, we will continue to play our part and investigate till we unravel the source of the drugs and other masterminds ‘’
While applauding residents of the state for supporting the Agency in the fight against illicit drugs through intelligence report that lead to the arrest of the suspects and other criminals posing danger to the society, Bamaiyi equally appealed to the youths to desist from idleness and engage in education pursuit or skill acquisition to become better leaders of tomorrow.
“Another disturbing and unfortunate trend is that our records of arrest have indicated that more and more women are involved in the sell and addiction of Totulin with Codine , so I am urging them to stop this bad habit, we have so far arrested four women in connection with the act ‘’ he declared.
Victims make confessions, appeals for clemency
One of the suspect, BasiruSuleman (38) who hail from Augie local government area of Kebbi while lamenting to Leadership appealed for mercy on the grounds ignorance for the fact that the owner (atlarge) did not disclose to them the contents of the cartons
‘’I swear to God we do not know what is inside the cartons, we are only doing our work as labourers loading and offloading properties brought into the town. Please we are innocent ‘’.
The suspect with his colleagues claimed that they did not know the mastermind behind the ownership of the drugs who only contracted them to offload the concealed cartons at the warehouse.
Victims are being rehabilitated
Aside from arrest and prosecution of those caught with the substance and those found abusing same, the Agency is making some strides in the area of rehabilitation of victims in the state.
Bamaiyi, in an interview with our correspondent said the agency matched two units-the skill acquisition unit and drug rehabilitation center- together, which have also been assigned to do the enlightenment campaign on drugs to the public and also treat those brought by their parents for rehabilitation and counselling.
“So far we have one in Birnin Kebbi and one in Zuru owned by the state government where we also refer addicts who are now called ‘ clients ‘.