Onyedi Gabriel, PortHarcourt
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Rivers State Command, at the weekend, said it convicted 24 drug offenders in Rivers State.
The command also said that it arrested 188 drug peddlers consisting of 167 males and 21 females between July 2019 and June 2020.
Public Relations Officer of the agency, Mr. Emmanuel Ogbungbada, who spoke in Port Harcourt, said the command seized 126.624kg of illicit drugs such as Cannabis sativa, cocaine, heroine and other psychotropic substances.
Ogbungbada said that the command successfully rehabilitated 22 drug-dependent persons and reunited them with their families.
He said, “In the last one year, NDLEA Rivers State Command has arrested 188 drug peddlers, compromising 168 male and 21 female.
“Also, in the last one year from July 2019 to June 2020 the Command has siezed 126.624kg of various kinds of illicit drugs which includes Cannabis sativa, Cocaine, Heroine and other psychotropic substances such as Tramadol, Codeine, Rohiphnol etc.
“The command also successfully convicted 24 drug offenders within the period in review, and our rehabilitation centre have successfully rehabilitated 22 drug dependent persons and has reunited them with their families.”
Ogbugbada, however, noted that the agency was faced with financial and logistics challenges and called on government at various levels and other stakeholders to support the mission of the agency.
He said, “There are other challenges; we have problem of funding. Although it is a National issue, but we are calling on stakeholders and State Government to support the Command in terms of Finances to help us run our activities.
“We are suffering the problem of logistics, in this Command, we have just two Operational vehicles and these vehicles are grossly inadequate and cannot cover the 23 LGAs of the state.”