The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), FCT Command, has appealed to the public to support its efforts to combat drug abuse and related crimes in the Federal Capital Territory.
By Ibironke Ariyo
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), FCT Command, has appealed to the public to support its efforts to combat drug abuse and related crimes in the Federal Capital Territory.
The NDLEA FCT Commander, Mr Kabir Tsakuwa, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
He said that the activities of drug peddlers particularly in the communities required all hands to be on deck, saying “we need support from every well-meaning resident of the FCT.’’
”The NDLEA officers and men can’t be everywhere. There is need for the public to provide information on drug dealers in their areas.
“The importance of information sharing can, therefore, not be over emphasised. We need the support of the general public,’’ he said.
He urged the public to take advantage of the agency’s call centre in Abuja to report drug activities.
“The public needs to take advantage of our call centre in Abuja for information sharing. Their identities will not be disclosed,” he said.
Tsakuwa, however, expressed concern over attacks on NDLEA personnel by drug dealers during raid operations, which has resulted in casualties.
”Our men are attacked by drug dealers during raid operations. We have recorded causalities from time to time.We shall continue to do our best against all odds,” he said.
Tsakuwa said that the command was also leveraging on War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), platforms to sensitise the public, especially youths on the dangers of drug abuse.
He said that the agency was working with religious bodies to provide spiritual counseling to drug-dependent persons.
“We shall leverage on War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, platforms to remain focused to sensitisation, advocacy and enlightenment campaigns to our youths and the general public.
“Prevention is better than cure. For our drug dependent persons in our counseling and treatment section, we have religious bodies, who come to talk to them weekly,” Tsakuwa said.
Tsakuwa appealed to the public, including the media, traditional rulers, faith leaders, community leaders, and other bodies to support the NDLEA in its efforts to combat drug abuse.
“The drug menace cannot be tackled by the NDLEA alone, as security concerns should be for all. We shall continue to appeal to the public to give us information on drug activities,” he said. (NAN)
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