The Katsina State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday said it has nabbed 443 drug suspects with not less than 336.4043 kgs of illicit drugs and 2,553.06 litres of cough syrup suspected to be codeine within six months.
This is even as the command said it has prosecuted and sentenced 23 suspects, while 110 cases were at different stages of trial at Federal High Court Katsina.
The state commander of the agency Maryam Gambo Sani, who disclosed this while briefing journalists in an event to mark the United Nations (UN) Anti-drug Day, said 24,000 bottles of codeine, 51kgs of cannabis sativa and 53kgs of Tramadol tablets were seized in Funtua, Sandamu and Katsina.
She reaffirmed that the agency also apprehended 21 students and children under the age of 13 across Katsina State with 128 bottles of cough syrup with codeine.
While lamenting the high rate of drug abuse and other harmful substances in Katsina, the state NDLEA boss charged parents and heads of schools to admonish children on the dangers of drug abuse and trafficking in order to avert the ugly trends in the society.
She reiterated the command’s quest towards achieving the motives of the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) in resuscitating the state drug control committee at state and local government levels.
“The NDLEA will continue to join hands with the state government, members of the community, civil society, NGOs and well-meaning Nigerians so that the theme of this year’s anti-drug day is widely given publicity to achieve the best result,” she said.
On this year’s Anti-drug Day, the NDLEA commander said: “The commemoration of the day is not about ceremonies but an occasion that calls for sober reflection on the impact of our efforts as a government, public institutions, parents, teachers, religious organisations and the media.”
