NDLEA burns 6.1 Tons of drugs in Jigawa

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA has destroyed drugs weighing 6.1 tons in Jigawa State.

The public destruction of the seized drug exhibits which took place in Dutse, Jigawa State capital, is the first since the creation of NDLEA Jigawa State Command in 2003.

Jigawa State Command was carved out of Kano Zonal Command. Until this exercise, all drugs seized in Jigawa were moved to Kano for public destruction but it was usually not much to warrant its own public destruction.

Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah, (rtd), Chairman/Chief Executive, NDLEA who was represented at the occasion by Femi Oloruntoba, his Chief of Staff noted that it is thing of grave concern that such quantity of drugs have being seized in the state. “This is not a good omen because it indicates that the drug problem is not about to abate in the State but has rather taken root.”

According to the Chairman/Chief Executive, “the good news is that the Government of Jigawa State has being responsive and has established a functional State Drug Abuse Control Committee among other counter-measures to address this monster.”

He further stressed the importance of the exercise: “this event is to ensure that all seized drugs are permanently put out of circulation and stopped from doing any further harm to society”, adding “it is also affords stakeholders to witness that once drugs are seized they are not spare, just as it sends strong signal to drug merchants that NDLEA will continue to ruin their illicit drug investments.”

He warned that the consanguinity of Jigawa State to the major city of Kano and the border town of Maigatari require that the stakeholders in the state should be more vigilant in ensuring that influx of drugs into Jigawa state is seriously checked. “Recently, 253 kilogrammes of tramadol tablets were intercepted at Maigatari border. According to reports no fewer than three million bottles of cough syrup with codeine were being consumed within Kano and Jigawa States before the recent ban of cough syrup containing codeine”, he recalled.

Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Barau Abdullahi Gambassa who represented Jigawa State Governor,   commended NDLEA for the relentless efforts and assured the Agency that the State Government would continue to support all measures.

“Jigawa State is strategic as a gateway to several northern states and also and international route. These factors make the state to be prone to drug movements. But we are more determined than ever”.

Jonah Achema

Spokesperson NDLEA